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Displaying items by tag: Cliff Rescue

The Irish Coast Guard has cited safety reasons for its temporary suspension of cliff rescues, as RTÉ News reports.

A spokesperson said the move is in line with its safety management system “and the function will be resumed when it has been is deemed safe to do so”.

Areas affected by the suspension will be serviced by existing coastguard units and the SAR helicopter network, the spokesperson added.

The move comes just weeks after some coastguard cliff rescue team members claimed they had not received any training in six months amid pandemic restrictions, as previously noted on Afloat.ie.

Published in Coastguard

Irish Coast Guard training needs “will be addressed” after units expressed concerns about their safety with exercises suspended under lockdown, as TheJournal.ie reports.

While limited coastguard training resumed earlier this month, the likes of cliff units have not been able to take part in in-person training since Level 3.

And it’s been claimed that some members of the specialist cliff rescue teams have not received any training in six months.

TheJournal.ie has much more on the story HERE.

Published in Coastguard

#Howth - The Irish Coast Guard cliff rescue team at Howth sprang into action yesterday afternoon (Saturday 16 July) after reports that a man in his 30s had fallen from the cliff path on Howth Head in North Co Dublin.

Working with paramedics from the Dublin Fire Brigade, the coastguard team evacuated the casualty to a waiting ambulance from the spot where he had fallen, some four metres from the cliff path near Drumleck Point.

The casualty had suffered a head injury but was conscious and breathing. He is currently being treated at Beaumont Hospital.

Howth RNLI and the Irish Coast Guard's Waterford-based helicopter Rescue 117 were also tasked to the incident but stood down.

Published in Coastguard

Marine Wildlife Around Ireland One of the greatest memories of any day spent boating around the Irish coast is an encounter with marine wildlife.  It's a thrill for young and old to witness seabirds, seals, dolphins and whales right there in their own habitat. As boaters fortunate enough to have experienced it will testify even spotting a distant dorsal fin can be the highlight of any day afloat.  Was that a porpoise? Was it a whale? No matter how brief the glimpse it's a privilege to share the seas with Irish marine wildlife.

Thanks to the location of our beautiful little island, perched in the North Atlantic Ocean there appears to be no shortage of marine life to observe.

From whales to dolphins, seals, sharks and other ocean animals this page documents the most interesting accounts of marine wildlife around our shores. We're keen to receive your observations, your photos, links and youtube clips.

Boaters have a unique perspective and all those who go afloat, from inshore kayaking to offshore yacht racing that what they encounter can be of real value to specialist organisations such as the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG) who compile a list of sightings and strandings. The IWDG knowledge base has increased over the past 21 years thanks in part at least to the observations of sailors, anglers, kayakers and boaters.

Thanks to the IWDG work we now know we share the seas with dozens of species who also call Ireland home. Here's the current list: Atlantic white-sided dolphin, beluga whale, blue whale, bottlenose dolphin, common dolphin, Cuvier's beaked whale, false killer whale, fin whale, Gervais' beaked whale, harbour porpoise, humpback whale, killer whale, minke whale, northern bottlenose whale, northern right whale, pilot whale, pygmy sperm whale, Risso's dolphin, sei whale, Sowerby's beaked whale, sperm whale, striped dolphin, True's beaked whale and white-beaked dolphin.

But as impressive as the species list is the IWDG believe there are still gaps in our knowledge. Next time you are out on the ocean waves keep a sharp look out!