#RNLI - After a series of 999 emergency calls reporting an object crashing into the sea off Bray, Co Wicklow yesterday evening (29 June), a brief search by the volunteer RNLI lifeboat crew from Dun Laoghaire discovered a giant Mickey Mouse balloon on the water.
Several callers to the Irish Coast Guard's Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Dublin reported an object crashing into the water 1km off the Bray seafront.
Several paragliders had been operating in the area recently, and there were fears that the object might have been one of these in difficulty.
Arriving on scene, the all-weather lifeboat crew of seven recovered a large inflatable Mickey Mouse balloon that had fallen into the sea and was being carried by the light breeze and flood tide towards the cliffs at Shanganagh.
"We're happy that this was a call made with good intent and calling 999 and asking for coast rescue is always the best course of action," said Stephen Wynne, lifeboat operations manager at Dun Laoghaire.
"And in this case, we were particularly happy to assist Mickey Mouse, one of the all-time favourite cartoon characters."