Survival experts explain how Hadi Nazari lasted 13 days in NSW bush

Lost for 13 days in thick, remote bushland, survival experts say just one decision made by the 23 year-old hiker may have saved his life.

• Vital message led to hiker’s rescue

Hadi Nazari’s ability to survive 13 days in the rugged wilderness alone was down to just one decision he made, survival experts have claimed.

Survival teacher Jake Cassar said access to water, among a number of other factors, would have been crucial to the young hiker’s survival in the Kosciuszko wilderness.

“They say about three days without water (is possible), but it really depends on the circumstances and how hot it is, how stressed the individual is,” he said.

“If he didn’t have access to water and was in the extreme heat then he wouldn’t have lasted very long at all.

“Anxiety can kick in and dehydration can really start to kick in after a matter of hours. So he must have kept it together as best as he could, and got close to water.”

Hadi Nazar hugging friends after he was found alive in dense NSW bushland in the Kosciuszko National Park. Picture: ABC

Mr Cassar said the average person can go between three and five weeks without food, particularly with some excess body fat.

“He looked fairly lean possibly going into it. Even after a couple of weeks, someone’s not necessarily hungry as their stomach has shrunk, and as long as they’re not too exposed to the elements, which is a major factor this time of year.”

Thredbo weather recordings from the Bureau of Meteorology show temperatures plummeted to as low as 3.5C on December 28 and rose as high as 27C on Sunday January 5, the day Mr Nazari purposefully left his camera behind for rescuers to find.

NSW survival expert Jake Cassar.

Mr Cassar said that the discovery of Mr Nazari’s lighter would have been crucial to opening up the search.

“We live in the driest inhabited continent on the planet with many, many different ways to meet your demise in the bush. This young fellow is really, really, really fortunate.

The rough terrain in Kosciuzko National Park.

“They say not to get emotionally invested and we try not to when we’re out there tracking missing people … but when there’s a human life out there and they’re waiting and they’re just hanging on to life … you do get a little bit emotionally involved. And I know that this young guy going back to his family is absolutely wonderful news.”

Mr Cassar said he hoped the incident would highlight the importance of teaching survival skills from a young age and in schools.

Despite milder temperatures meaning hypothermia in the alpine area was of little concern, and little to no rain bar a small shower on Monday, former ADF pilot and survival expert Mike Atkinson said other summer threats may still have been lurking.

NSW survival expert Mike Atkinson

“It’s such a steep terrain there that you do use your hands and legs a bit. So it’s possible you can get bitten by a snake somewhere and that can stop you moving because you don’t want to move if you’ve been bitten by a snake,” he said.

“It really is some of the most difficult terrain anywhere in Australia due to the steepness and the thickness of the vegetation. You can’t see more than a metre or two through that stuff - if you yell, it just gets dampened by the foliage.”

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