Open Water Swimming News from Ireland
Over 100 'Baywatch' Sea Swimmers Take Charity Dip in Helen's Bay on Belfast Lough
29th December 2022 Sea Swim
Helen’s Bay is a small village on the Belfast to Bangor railway line on the south shore of Belfast Lough and is named after Helen Blackwood, Baroness Dufferin and Clandeboye, who lived in the early nineteenth century. It’s not recorded…
Water Safety Ireland is urging those planning festive charity dips to be mindful of the effect of a new moon on Dec 23rd which will lead to higher tides throughout the weekend. Higher tides can hide unfamiliar depths and hazards…
Fethard RNLI Launches Christmas Fundraising Activities to Help Save Lives at Sea
24th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats
Fethard RNLI’s fundraising branch has begun to distribute RNLI Christmas cards to local shops and businesses, while local swimming group Hooked on Swimming have begun their 12 swims of Christmas fundraiser which will see proceeds raised to power the lifesaving…
Omagh Man Rescued From Rip Current Runs Dublin Marathon in Bare Feet to Support RNLI
4th November 2022 RNLI Lifeboats
An Omagh man who was rescued by the Irish Coast Guard after he was caught in a rip current off a Donegal beach in July has completed the Dublin Marathon in his bare feet to raise awareness of water safety…
Former Irish Rugby Star is Second Irish Woman to Complete Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming
15th October 2022 Sea Swim
A former Irish rugby international has become only the second Irish woman to complete the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. Rosie Foley recently crossed 32.3km between Catalina Island and the mainland of Southern California to match the rugby union…
The annual Liffey Swim was held in Dublin city centre on Saturday (24 September) with nearly 500 people taking part, as RTÉ News reports. Dublin Swimming Club’s Ken Dent took the men’s honours, leading from the outset and setting a…
Sea Swimmers Maybe Better Protected Against Harmful Organisms - Research
16th September 2022 Wavelength Podcast
Preliminary research into the impact of harmful organisms in bathing water suggests that regular sea swimmers leading a healthy life may have some protection. University of Galway expert Prof Dearbháile Morris cautions that the indications are preliminary, and require more…
The seventh annual Boyne Swim took place on Saturday, 10th September, with the biggest entry ever of 270 swimmers taking part on the day. It was a beautiful sunny day with excellent weather conditions, and the River Boyne was in…
Dippers to Swimmers, Beach to Buoy, open water skills and yoga and dip are among Swim Ireland’s tuition programmes for its summer season. The 45-minute classes, which will run for four or six weeks depending on location around the Irish…
Galway City Council has imposed a ban on swimming at two beaches due to E.coli contamination. The bacterial contamination was detected during tests at Grattan beach in Lower Salthill and Ballyloughane beach on the city's east side near Renmore. The…
RNLI Crosshaven Called Out for Two People Attempting to Swim Across Ringabella Bay After being Cut off by the Tide
4th August 2022 RNLI Lifeboats
Shortly after launching on exercise this evening, Valentia Coast Guard tasked the volunteer RNLI crew at 7.15 pm to proceed to Ringabella Bay, where two people who had been cut off by the tide attempted to swim across the bay…
University of Portsmouth Initiates Study on Impact of Open Water Swimming on Depression
28th July 2022 Sea Swim
Researchers at the University of Portsmouth have initiated a study to determine if open water swimming has an impact on depression. The researchers are seeking people in Britain to take part in the randomised control trial, where some participants will…
The Atlantic Life Boat Swim fundraiser raised over €5,000 last Saturday (July 23rd). Held at Rinville, Oranmore on Galway Bay, over 150 sea swimmers braved the bad weather for the annual event held in aid of Galway RNLI Lifeboat and…
Water Safety Ambassador Henry O'Donnell Goes Blue for World Drowning Prevention Day
26th July 2022 Sea Swim
Sporting blue hair, painted blue eyelids and a blue wave painted on his chest, Water Safety Ireland ambassador Henry O’Donnell took to the Donegal coastline to issue a safety appeal on World Drowning Prevention day. The former Army Ranger, lifeguard,…
Galway RNLI Rescues Six People From Water After Group Gets Cut off by Tide at Rabbit Island
19th July 2022 RNLI Lifeboats
Galway RNLI rescued six people who got into difficulty in the sea off Rabbit Island on Monday evening (18 July). The group who had walked over to the island at low tide became stranded by the incoming tide and were attempting…
Jessika Robson Wins Seaside Revival Pickie to Pier Swim in Bangor, County Down
17th July 2022 Sea Swim
From Skippingstone Beach on the west side of Bangor Bay on Belfast Lough to the RNLI slipway in the Harbour is 800 metres and last week 200 swimmers raced that distance in the swim called the 'Pickie to Pier' named…