#RNLI - Bundoran RNLI has rescued a kayaker who got into difficulty between Rossnowlagh and Creevy Pier yesterday evening (Thursday 7 June).
The volunteer lifeboat crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat by Malin Head Coast Guard at 8.11pm following a report that a kayaker was in difficulty.
Helmed by Michael Patton and with three crew members onboard, the lifeboat launched immediately and made their way to the scene.
The Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 118 from Sligo was also tasked.
Weather conditions at the time were described as good with a low swell and slow northerly winds.
Once on scene, the lifeboat crew observed that the casualty, who had capsized from her kayak, had been taken from the water by a group of four to five other kayakers
The group had placed the casualty back on her kayak and were supporting her as they awaited the lifeboat’s arrival.
Once assessed by the lifeboat crew, she was found to be not in immediate danger, though she had taken on some water and an ambulance was requested as a precautionary measure.
The lifeboat brought the kayaker to Creevy Pier where Rescue 118 and an ambulance crew were waiting. The woman was further assessed by the helicopter crew before she was transferred into the care of the ambulance crew.
“We would like to wish the kayaker a speedy recovery and commend her fellow kayakers for raising the alarm and taking her out of the water and looking after her until we arrived,” Patton said.
“We would also like to thank our colleagues in the Irish Coast Guard and the ambulance service for their rapid response and attention to the casualty on scene.”
On the same day, the RNLI today launched its national drowning prevention campaign Respect the Water for 2018, as previously reported on Afloat.ie.