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AfloatDigi 2018 CHMarine SafetySection

Search & Rescue, Water Safety - News from the Marine Safety Agencies
The teenage girl is lifted to safety by Coleraine Coastguard’s rope rescue specialist
#Rescue - Coleraine Coastguard rescued a teenage girl who was stranded at the base of a 100ft cliff at Castlerock yesterday evening (Monday 24 July). The coastguard rescue team was tasked to Castlerock following a report of two girls cut…
Patsy Kelly’s lobster boat Loch Corrib II pictured at Ballinacourty pier a month after the incident
#MCIB - Marine investigators have recommended that fishermen be reminded of best practice for wearing PFDs while on the water. That’s the main recommendation from the Marine Casualty Investigation Board’s (MCIB) report on an incident in Galway Bay last September…
Rescue For Girl Swept Out To Sea In Donegal
#Rescue - Malin Head Coast Guard has issued a warning over changing tides after a series of rescues off the Donegal coast yesterday (Sunday 23 July). The most serious of these involved a six-year-old girl whose inflatable was swept out…
Baltimore's RNLI Inshore Lifeboat
Baltimore RNLI carried out a medical evacuation yesterday afternoon (Sunday 23 July) after a man sustained injuries while on a visit to Sherkin Island off the coast of West Cork. The volunteer lifeboat crew was requested to launch their inshore…
Chris Collins, Aodh O'Donnell and Martin Limrick of the Union Hall lifeboat crew
#RNLI - Union Hall RNLI were alerted by Valentia Coast Guard at 3.24pm yesterday (Saturday 22) to a report of a 30ft yacht with two sailors gone aground at the middle danger in Glandore Harbour, West Cork. The lifeboat launched…
Ballycotton RNLI tows a stricken yacht back to Cork in one of the lifeboat station’s longest ever callouts
#RNLI - Ballycotton RNLI launched their all-weather lifeboat yesterday morning (Saturday 22 July) following a request from Falmouth coastguard, who reported the activation of an emergency beacon some 60 miles off the Cork coast. The three-person crew of a 40ft…
Lough Derg RNLI tow the cruiser
On Saturday July 22, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNL to assist two people and their dog after their 38ft cruiser ran aground at Ryan’s Point, on the eastern shore of Lough Derg. At 2.35pm the lifeboat was launched…
Larne RNLI’s crew launching their inshore lifeboat Terry
#RNLI - Larne RNLI encourages the public to always call for help if they believe someone is in trouble on the coast, following a callout this week that turned out to be a false alarm. The Larne volunteer crew launched…
The deck and bulwarks of Michael O’Brien’s boat Bluebird II, which was found empty the evening before his remains were recovered
#WaterSafety - The dangers of boating without proper safety equipment have been raised by a report into the death of an angler who went overboard from his vessel off West Cork last summer. The body of Michael O’Brien was recovered…
One of the two passengers who entered the water holds onto the end of the gangway of the Rose of Aran before his rescue in the incident on 6 June 2016
#MCIB - Lack of safety management contributed to an incident in which two people fell into the water while disembarking from a ferry at Inis Oírr Pier last summer. That’s according to the Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) report on…
Carrybridge RNLI
Carrybridge RNLI in County Fermanagh launched this morning in response to a report of a gas explosion on a vessel at a marina in Carrybridge. The volunteer lifeboat crew was requested to launch both their inshore lifeboat and Rescue Water…
Newcastle RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Eliza
#RNLI - Newcastle RNLI was involved in a major air, sea and land search at Tyrella on the Co Down coast last night (Monday 17 July) after walkers reported seeing someone struggling in the sea. Newcastle RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Eliza…
Lough Ree’s inshore lifeboat approaches the upturned Fireball and its two sailors
#RNLI - Lough Ree RNLI was called to assist two sailors when their 17ft Fireball dinghy was holed and began to sink on Lough Ree on Saturday evening (15 July). The crew of Lough Ree lifeboat The Eric Rowse were…
Emergency personnel removing the injured cyclist from the rocky beach more than 12 feet below the Coast Road to Ballygally
#RNLI - Larne RNLI was involved in a multi-agency rescue yesterday afternoon (Sunday 16 July) after a cyclist fell between as much as 15 feet from the Coast Road north of Ballygally in Co Antrim. The volunteer crew were requested…
Bundoran RNLI’s inshore lifeboat
#Rescue - Bundoran RNLI is reminding anyone planning a trip to the coast this summer to be mindful of the dangers of rip currents that can quickly sweep you out to sea. The advice comes as Bundoran’s volunteer lifeboat crew…
Baltimore RNLI's inshore lifeboat
#RNLI - Baltimore RNLI assisted two sailors yesterday afternoon (Friday 14 July) after their motorboat broke down off the coast of West Cork. The volunteer crew was requested to launch their inshore lifeboat at 2.25pm following a report from the…

Every Year Ireland's Search & Rescue Services deliver emergency life saving work on our seas, lakes and rivers.

Ireland's Water Safety Agencies work hard to provide us with the information we need to keep safe, while enjoying all manner of water based activities.

There's no better fun than getting out on the water but being afloat is a responsibility we all need to take seriously.

These pages detail the work of the rescue agencies. We also aim to promote safety standards among pleasure boaters, and by doing so, prevent, as far as possible, the loss of life at sea and on inland waters. If you have ideas for our pages we'd love to hear from you. Please email us at [email protected]

Think Before You Sink - Wear a Lifejacket

Accidents can happen fast on water and there may not be time to reach for a lifejacket in an emergency therefore don't just carry a lifejacket - wear it; if it's not on you, it can't save your life.

Irish Water Safety's Safe Boating Alert:

Check condition of boat and equipment, hull, engine, fuel, tools, torch.

Check the weather forecast for the area.

Check locally concerning dangerous currents and strong tides.

Do not drink alcohol while setting out or during your trip.

Carry an alternative means of propulsion e.g. sails and oars or motor and oars.

Carry a first aid kit on board and distress signals (at least two parachute distress rockets, two red hand flares).

Carry a fire extinguisher, a hand bailer or bucket with lanyard and an anchor with rope attached.

Carry marine radio or some means of communication with shore.

Do not overload the boat - this will make it unstable.

Do not set out unless accompanied by an experienced person.

Leave details of your planned trip with someone ashore - including departure and arrival times, description of boat, names of persons on board, etc.

Wear a Lifejacket at all times.

Keep an eye on the weather - seek shelter in good time.

In Marine Emergencies, call 999 or 112 and ask for Marine Rescue.

Lifejackets Checklist

Ensure Cartridges have not been punctured and are secured firmly.

Ensure all zips, buckles, fasteners and webbing straps are functioning correctly and adjusted to fit the user.

Check that fitted lights are operating correctly.

Ensure that Automatic Inflation devices are fully serviced and in date.

Check that the valve or lifejacket is not leaking.