Coastguard and Lifeboat services were pressed in to action early this morning to search for missing surfers on the North Coast.

At 02.20 am MRCC Belfast received a call from Police Service Northern Ireland reporting that they had received a call from a lady reporting that her son had not returned from a surfing trip with a colleague.

They had gone surfing at 6.00 pm yesterday evening and were due to return at 11.30 pm.

Belfast immediately called out the Coleraine Coastguard rescue team and requested the launch of the Portrush RNLI lifeboat and inshore lifeboat. The Coastguard helicopter R118 from Sligo, Ireland was also scrambled. PSNI officers with dogs were also assisting in the search.

A search was initiated based on the location of their car which was located at Whiterocks car park containing their personal items and their board covers.

At 3.45 am this morning, the two surfers emerged from a cave. They had gone surfing when one of the surfers sustained a head injury when thrown onto the rocks by the waves. They went into a cave to shelter. They think had been there 6 hours could not get out due to the waves. They were waiting until waves subsided, saw the boat and came out of the cave when a little shore line appeared. The men then went onto the road and met the Coastguard search team.

Liam Colquhoun, Watch Manager Belfast said:

We are pleased that the two men have been located. They have declined any medical treatment and have gone home.

The two men had done the correct thing in making sure that a shore contact knew when they were due to return from undertaking their activity.

If you see someone in trouble at sea or on the coast, Dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

Wicklow RNLI all weather lifeboat was launched just before 0820am this morning after it was reported that a fishing vessel was in need of assistance, approximately a half mile South of Wicklow Head.
The lifeboat under the command of Coxswain Nick Keogh was quickly on scene and located the small fishing vessel drifting after engine failure , a towline was quickly passed and established , the fishing vessel with 3 crew was towed safely back to Wicklow harbour and was secured alongside the South Quay by 0910am. The lifeboat returned to Station and was ready for service again at 0945am.
This is the 5th callout this year for the busy station that was established in 1857.
Crew list - Coxswain Nick Keogh, Mechanic Brendan Copeland, Ciaran Doyle, Lisa O Leary, Brendan Kavanagh and Tommy Murphy.
Shore crew - John Sillery, John Hayden, Tommy Dover, John Docherty, Carol Flahive, Wayne Jones, Kevin Rahill, John Vize and Alan Goucher.

Volunteer lifeboat crew with Wexford RNLI had to deal with two dramatic callouts on the river Slaney within the space of two hours yesterday (Sunday 8th May).  Twenty rowers taking part in a triathlon were brought to safety as waves swamped their boat and a man was rescued after he was seen falling from Wexford bridge.
Four of the eight rowing boats involved in a triathlon got into difficulty as strong wind over tide caused dangerous waves which swamped the boats and capsized one.  The boats were spotted by members of the Wexford Harbour Boat Club who had safety boats in the water as part of their weekly sailing practice. The Wexford RNLI Lifeboat was training at the time and came to the assistance of the rowers, some of whom were in the freezing water for ten minutes. Conditions were challenging with a southerly force 6 and wind over tide which resulted in seas of 3 foot waves, making it very difficult for the rowers. All rowers were brought ashore.
One hour after the callout, a man was spotted falling from Wexford bridge, at 1:09pm. The quick action of the public and the gardai ensured that the lifeboat, some of whose crew were still at the station was able to launch within minutes of the man entering the water.  With the help of the gardai on the bridge who kept a visual on the man the lifeboat crew were able to locate him. The man was unconscious when lifeboat volunteer Frank O'Brien, jumped into the water and pulled him into the lifeboat.  First aid was immediately adminstered and the casualty was brought back to the lifeboat station and met by a  waiting ambulance.

A man walking on Sandymount beach on Dublin Bay yesterday evening had a lucky escape when he became cut-off by the incoming tide and was rescued by the new RNLI inshore lifeboat from Dun Laoghaire.

The incident occurred shortly after 10pm when the man was walking on a sandbank approximately one mile from Strand Road in Sandymount when he became aware that he was cut-off by the rising flood tide. The Irish Coastguard service that co-ordinates marine rescue received a phone call from the casualty and the inshore lifeboat was launched at 10.20pm.

A search involving Gardai and coastguard shore units was already underway and the ILB began combing the area with the assistance of searchlights and white parachute flares.  The casualty relayed his position to the ILB crew via the Dublin Coastguard radio service and was located within 20 minutes.

The ILB crew took the casualty on board and brought him to Dun Laoghaire one hour after the call-out.  He was unhurt in the incident and did not require hospital attention.

The new inshore lifeboat was named "Realt Na Mara" by broadcaster Pat Kenny and his wife Cathy at a ceremony last Saturday.  The €35,000 craft was donated privately and this evening's call was the second today.  Earlier, four people on a small powerboat got into difficulties off Bulloch Harbour in Dalkey.

Tonight's incident is not an infrequent occurrence as the sandbanks on Sandymount Strand have tricked other walkers in the past as the incoming tide floods the lower-lying beach area closer to the shore and depths become impossible to walk, especially in surf.

"The casualty was very lucky to escape injury or worse," commented Stephen Wynne, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Dun Laoghaire RNLI.  "There was less than two hours remaining before high-water but at that stage the sandbank would have been completely covered.  Sea-temperatures on the East Coast are still less than ten degrees and the chances of survival would have been slim".

A number of local Search and Rescue Units were involved in the search for a Kite Surfer who was seen being pulled out to sea approximately 3 miles off Balaggan Point, Co Louth yesterday, according to SAR Ireland.

Full CH 67 Comms below.

Kilkeel, Greenore and later Clogher Head lifeboats were all involved along with a passing yacht as they raced in pursuit of what was thought to be an out of control Kite Surfer as he was spotted being pulled out across Dundalk Bay.

Clogher Head lifeboat eventually managed to catch up with the surfer who it turned out was being towed by a jetski, had a VHF handheld and was in no danger whatsoever.

All units were stood down and told to return to base.

Both Belfast and Dublin CG Co-ordinated at different intervals of this search.

The rapid response of the RNLI Baltimore inshore lifeboat averted catastrophe at sea today, when a young fishermen fell overboard 11 miles south of Baltimore harbour.

Valentia Coast Guard alerted the Baltimore lifeboat station at 12:43pm and both the inshore lifeboat Bessie and the all-weather lifeboat Hilda Jarrett put to sea. The twin engined Atlantic 75 which has a top speed of 32 knots, reached the casualty within 20 minutes under the direction of Helmsman Youen Jacob.

Crewman Ronan Callanan administered oxygen to the stricken fisherman stabilising his condition, which had been serious due to long immersion in water. Further medical attention was offered by all weather lifeboat crewman Jerry Smith when it arrived on scene 20 minutes later.

Given the seriousness of the fishermans condition it was decided that an airlift was the most appropriate course of action and a rescue helicopter was called.

Helmsman Youne Jacob, commended the Captain and crew of the fishing boat in retrieving the fisherman from the water, which was made even more difficult by the choppy sea conditions prevailing.

The Inshore lifeboat then returned to Baltimore Harbour, However the allweather lifeboat remained at seas, as another distress call was received from a fishing vessel adrift 30 miles offshore.

In current weather conditions it will take them two hours to reach the vessel and several more to tow her back to shore.

Onboard the inshore lifeboat were Helmsman Youen Jacob, crewmen Ronan Callanan and Tadhg Collins.

On board the all weather lifeboat are coxswain Aidan Bushe, Cathal Cottrell, Jerry Smith, Ronnie Carty and father and son team Pat and Diarmuid Collins

Terence Johnson was made a Life Governor of Irish Water Safety to day at the Westbury Hotel, Dublin in due recognition of his work as Chairman of the Irish Management Committee of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The Government Chief Whip, Minister Paul Kehoe T.D. made this presentation and thanked him for the important role he played in promoting water safety and saving peoples lives at sea during his tenure. Minister Kehoe commended Mr. Johnson for the exceptional voluntary work that he did to advance the search and rescue facilities in Ireland.

Approximately forty Life Governors of Irish Water Safety were in attendance at the ceremony. They included former Minister Bobby Molloy, former Director of the Coast Guard Captain Liam Kirwan, former Chairman of the National Safety Council Cartan Finnegan to name but a few. Also in attendance was Commodore Mark Mellett DSM, Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service, Mr. Chris Reynolds current director of the Coast Guard.

Guest Speakers were Mark Mellett, Director of the Naval Service, TJ Mc Carron, Ballybunion Community Rescue Boat, Eddie Breen and County Manager of Wexford Co Co.

Skerries RNLI Lifeboat was tasked last night at 8pm to reports of an upturned hull in the water off Donabate Co Dublin. The lifeboat was launched within six minutes and with the help of the Coast Guard Helicopter "Rescue 116" quickly located the object in the water. The object turned out to be a racing mark that was not floating correctly. The boat returned to station, refuelled and was ready for service before 10pm

Nenagh resident and inland waterways enthusiast, Nick Theato, single-handed aboard 'Bo-Bo, a five metre Pedro trailer/sailer and Pat Kelly, Killadangan, with his son Andrew in 'Shu-Ra-Nu', a 6 metre Etap 20 trailer/sailer, plan to raise funds for Lifeboats Ireland by undertaking the IWAI Green & Silver Challenge in June, 2011. Their fundraising target is €5,000.00.

On the 25th June, 1946, Tom and Angela Rolt left Athlone aboard 'Le Coq', a 28ft.x8ft. converted ship's lifeboat on a voyage that would inspire contemporary and successive generations of inland waterways enthusiasts.

Tom Rolt wonderfully documented the voyage in his book 'Green & Silver', published in 1949, which has since become a classic. This work was instrumental in inspiring the small group who founded the Inland Waterways Association of Ireland in 1954, whose objective was to save the Shannon navigation from strangulation by low bridges. Indeed, the colour scheme of the IWAI's logo and burgee derive from the cover design of Rolt's book.

With the re-opening of the Royal Canal in October 2010, it is now possible to retrace Rolt's journey in full and complete the circular route formed by the Royal Canal, River Liffey, Grand Canal, River Shannon and Camlin River.

To celebrate this event, the IWAI has initiated the 'Green & Silver Challenge' in an effort to encourage people to make the circular journey. Nenagh resident, Nick Theato single-handed aboard 'Bo-Bo, a 16 foot Pedro trailer/sailer and Pat Kelly, Killadangan, with his son Andrew aboard 'Shu-Ra-Nu', a 20 foot Etap trailer/sailer, plan to raise funds for Lifeboats Ireland by travelling the full Green & Silver Route throughout June 2011.

Departing on June 1st, they will travel from Dromineer through Lough Derg and Lough Ree and enter the Royal Canal at Richmond Harbour. They plan to cross the Liffey in Dublin 17 days later, where they will take a welcome day off before commencing the return journey via the Grand Canal to Shannon Harbour. The journey will take approximately 28 days, will cover a minimum of 333 km. and navigate through 92 locks (some double), 91 of which are manual. Their fundraising target is €5,000

Nick Theato is Treasurer of the Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Branch and Lough Derg Lifeboat Station at Dromineer.

Pat Kelly is Secretary of the Lough Derg RNLI Fundraising Branch.

Nick and Pat welcome all sponsorship, however modest. Contributions can be pledged online at http://www.mycharity.ie/event/green_silver_event/. Nick may be contacted on 086 1738014 ([email protected]). Pat is at 087 6908099 ([email protected]).

For further details / interviews / photos: Contact Pat Kelly at 087 6908099 ([email protected]). Support photography: Gerardine Wisdom 087 6522582 ([email protected]).

On Sunday night, Howth Inshore Lifeboat assisted two people aground in a five metre speedboat North of Malahide estuary in Co. Dublin. Scroll down for the three minute RNLI video of the rescue.

In a joint operation in March, Howth Coast Guard and Howth lifeboat rescued a teenage girl who collapsed on Howth Head. The teenager had walked down a 100 foot steep cliff path to Jameson Beach on Howth Head with her friends when she collapsed. Gardai arrived on the scene and requested Coast Guard assistance to extract the casualty. Video and RNLI Video here.