#WaterSafety - Shore angler Colm Plunkett, who credits his lifejacket with saving his life after he was swept into the sea earlier this year, is supporting a water safety campaign launched this week by the RNLI throughout Ireland and the UK.

Plunkett and the RNLI are urging all shore anglers to wear a lifejacket, which could buy them vital time should they end up in the water unexpectedly.

Between 2010 and 2014 there were 29 anglers rescued while fishing from rocks or the shoreline in Ireland and the charity’s lifeboats were launched 43 times to shore angling callouts.

According to research conducted by the RNLI, only 10% of shore anglers wear lifejackets. Yet an expert casualty review panel found that 81% of the fatalities reviewed between 2007 and 2013 could have been prevented had the casualties been wearing lifejackets.

The safety campaign advises: ‘Don’t be an amateur – wear a lifejacket.’

Irish angler Colm Plunkett is one of those who chose to wear his lifejacket – a decision which ultimately saved his life after he was swept from rocks while fishing at Dursey Sound on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork in August this year.

Plunkett and his daughter Orlaith are backing the campaign and have shared their story with the RNLI for the campaign.

"I was fishing when a rogue wave washed me into the sea," he recounts. "I spent the next 55 minutes fighting for my life. Fortunately I was with my 16-year-old daughter, who immediately called the coastguard. Upon entering the water my lifejacket automatically inflated and kept me on the surface of the sea.

"For the first 15 to 20 minutes I was swept by the current out to sea. I spent 30 minutes or so fighting to get air into my lungs while spitting sea water out of my mouth; as the waves broke over my head and the water ran down my face.

"Much to my relief, the current then pushed me back towards the land and to calmer waters. My state of exhaustion and oncoming hypothermia prevented me from reaching the shore but my daughter shouted to me that help was on the way and, for the first time my spirits rose."

Ten minutes later, he recalls, the inshore rescue boat from Derrynane, Co Kerry reached him. "I was brought to shore with a life-threatening low temperature and was taken to hospital by helicopter for further assessment and treatment.

"I am here solely because I wear a lifejacket. If you are not wearing a lifejacket, you are as good as dead."

There are some simple steps anglers can follow to keep themselves safe:

• If fishing from the shoreline, wear a lifejacket.
• Tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to be back.
• Carry a means of calling for help.

The campaign forms part of the RNLI’s work to halve the number of accidental coastal deaths by 2024.

Volunteer lifeboat crew at Red Bay RNLI launched at 5am this morning (5 November) to assist a two man American crew aboard a 40 ft yacht that had run aground off Waterfoot Pier near Red Bay in county Antrim. The yacht was travelling from Oban in Scotland to Howth Yacht Club when it ran aground.

The call for help had originally come last night at 8.55pm and Red Bay RNLI was launched to assist. On arrival they found the yacht hard aground at Waterfoot Pier. The lifeboat went to assist along with a nearby fishing vessel but with a low tide they found that the yacht was hard aground and stuck fast.

With conditions good and visibility clear the lifeboat crew shot the anchors off the yacht to secure it and ensure that it would remain safe during the evening. They checked that the two American crew aboard were unharmed and the Coastguard kept in touch with them during the night. With the tide set to rise at 5am this morning Red Bay RNLI launched again and was able to free the yacht from the rocks. The two men were taken to a nearby mooring before they will continue on their journey to Howth in Dublin.

Commenting on the callout Red Bay RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer Paddy McLaughlin said, ‘Thankfully conditions were good last night but we were concerned that they were due to change this morning. The lifeboat launched at 5am when the tide had risen and the yacht was safely refloated with no damage sustained. The two men who are none the worse for their ordeal will be able to continue on their journey to Howth this morning.’

#RNLI - Ballycotton RNLI rescued a kitesurfer who got into difficulty on Ballycotton Bay on Monday afternoon (2 November).

The volunteer crew were requested to launch both their all-weather and inshore lifeboats by the Irish Coast Guard at 12.30pm and go to the assistance of a kitesurfer who was in difficulty but in no immediate danger in Ballycotton Bay on Co Cork.

The alarm was raised by a member of the public who spotted the kitesurfer struggling due to a lack of wind. Weather conditions at the time were described as overcast and calm.

Once on scene, the lifeboat crew assessed the situation before bringing the kitesurfer on board the inshore lifeboat and safely back to shore.

Speaking following the callout, Ballycotton RNLI coxswain Eolan Walsh said: "We would like to commend the member of the public who raised the alarm today. Their quick thinking ensured the lifeboats were launched and that there was a positive outcome."

#RNLI - Red Bay RNLI has rescued three men yesterday afternoon (Sunday 1 November) after they got into difficulty on a 4m speedboat which was drifting out to sea off the North Coast.

The volunteer lifeboat crew was alerted by Belfast Coastguard just before noon and requested to go the aid of three people on a broken down vessel which was lost somewhere off Cushendun.

One of the casualties had managed to raise the alarm with a relative using his mobile phone.

The inshore lifeboat, helmed by Kevin Allen and with crew members Stephen Conway, James McLaughlin and Owen McKinley onboard, launched within minutes and made its way to towards Cushendun.

Despite an extensive search on scene the lifeboat crew could not locate any vessel in distress in the specific search area.

The lifeboat crew widened their search and requested the assistance of the Sligo-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 118.

After searching for two-and-a-half hours in what were described as difficult weather conditions, the lifeboat crew finally located the vessel some four miles off Garron Point at Red Bay. The boat was drifting out in blustery sea squall conditions.

The three men, who were not in immediate danger but suffering from shock, were taken onboard the lifeboat and brought safely back to Red Bay where they were made comfortable.

Speaking following the callout, Red Bay RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Paddy McLaughlin said: "These three men were extremely lucky this afternoon as their small vessel had broken down and was rapidly drifting out to sea.

The callout was particularly challenging for the lifeboat crew as the casualties were unsure of where they were lost and it took a considerable amount of time to find them.

"Our crew is highly trained and using their navigation skills particularly, they were able to locate the casualties, all of whom were relieved to see the lifeboat, and bring them safely back to shore this afternoon."

McLaughlin added: "We would remind anyone taking to the water to carry a means of communication and plan your trip in advance so you are familiar with the area should you get into any difficulty and need to request assistance."

#RNLI - Today – 1 November 2015 – marks 100 years since the end one of the most daring days in the history of Rosslare RNLI, when the station's volunteers rescued six crews within a single 24-hour period.

With the Wexford coast being assailed by easterly Force 7 gales on Hallowe'en that climbed to Force 10 overnight, and vessels in Rosslare Harbour dragging their anchors towards danger, the lifeboat crew rowed right into the thick of it - plucking crews from schooners and other vessels that would soon after be bound for the seabed.

The RNLI has much more on the story HERE.

An extensive search is being carried out of an area south west of the Isle of Man after an emergency code was received from an unknown aircraft.

UK Coastguard is overseeing the search after the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre at RAF Kinloss called to say that the aircraft had been lost on the radar.

A search between Northern Ireland and the south west of the Isle of Man is being carried out.

Two RNLI boats, one from Newcastle (Northern Ireland) and Port St Mary (Isle of Man), the Irish Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Dublin and two Coastguard Rescue Teams, one from Portaferry (UK Coastguard) and Castletown (IOM Coastguard) are all involved.

Ryan Gray, senior maritime operations officer at the UK Coastguard said: ‘We also issued a Mayday relay in the area which means that other merchant shipping are also keeping a lookout for this aircraft.’

‘This is the first time we’ve worked with the Isle of Man Coastguard since joining the national network.'

The search remains ongoing.

#RNLI - Wexford RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crew rescued a man within a minute of him entering the water near Wexford Bridge on Wednesday afternoon (28 October).

The boat was just about to launch for an assessment of two prospective crew members when shore crew and tractor driver David Dempsey spotted something falling into the water out of the corner of his eye.

The lifeboat continued to launch at 2:33pm and was on scene within one minute. In the meantime a member of the public had thrown a lifebouy into the water and the casualty was able to hold onto it.

He was quickly recovered into the lifeboat at 2.34pm and the boat was back at the lifeboat station at 2.35pm, where the casualty was treated for mild hypothermia. Ambulance personnel provided further treatment and brought him to hospital.

Wexford RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Lorraine Galvin said: "The fact that the lifeboat was ready to launch and was there within a minute of the man falling into the water saved his life, [not to mention] the fast response by a member of the public who threw a ringbouy into the water.

"The two volunteer lifeboat crew who were on assessment at the time had the opportunity to put their training to the test in a real rescue scenario."

The lifeboat crew involved in this rescue were helm Frank O'Brien and Fintan O'Donoghue, trainee crew Ger Doran and Marcin Maksimiuk, and tractor driver David Dempsey.

#RNLI - Holyhead RNLI lifeboat volunteers' training turned into a real-life rescue last night after distress calls were heard from a boat carrying three men a baby in the Irish Sea.

At 6pm crew members were at the lifeboat station training when they heard a call for help over the VHF radio. They immediately raised the alarm by calling Holyhead Coastguard, who requested the launch of Holyhead RNLI's inshore lifeboat and asked the station's all weather lifeboat to be on standby.

The inshore lifeboat and its volunteer crew made their way to the Bolivar buoy near Carmel Head, where the 33ft Fairline motor vessel was at anchor and stuck fast.

On arrival, they called for the all-weather lifeboat to assist and Holyhead RNLI's Severn-class lifeboat made her way the scene.

After attempts to free the casualty vessel’s anchor, the anchor warp was severed by crew members to get the casualty vessel moving again, and a buoy was left as a marker before the vessel was towed to safety and delivered to Holyhead Marina.

There were four people on board the boat: three adults and a very young baby. All were unharmed.

Holyhead RNLI coxswain Brian Thomson said: "This call-out emphasised the importance of going to sea prepared – wearing correct lifejackets, having proper flares and safety equipment, knowing the waters into which you are going and knowing how to correctly use VHF radio."

#RNLI - Lifeboats from Bangor, Donaghadee and Larne were launched last night (Tuesday 27 October) as part of a major operation after a flight out of Belfast declared an emergency.

Police, fire and ambulance crews were also involved in the cross-agency response to the British Airways flight from Belfast City Airport to Heathrow, with 108 passengers aboard, which diverted to Belfast International Airport shortly after take-off as the pilot declared an emergency.

The RNLI lifeboats were on the water within 10 minutes of receiving a request from HM Coastguard and proceeded to positions which are part of a practiced air emergency plan.

Thankfully the services of the volunteer crews were not required and the lifeboats returned to station within the hour.

Alan Whiteside, operations director at Belfast International Airport, said: "Everything went smoothly, our own police and fire service on site here responded, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, the PSNI, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service all attended as a routine.

"But nobody was required to take any other action - the aircraft landed safely, thankfully."

#RNLI - Rosslare Harbour RNLI's volunteer lifeboat crew participating in an exercise on Sunday morning (25 October) in Rosslare Bay were diverted to a fishing vessel with an injured crewman on board.

The fishing boat was a mile northeast of Rosslare Europort when the lifeboat station was alerted at 10.30am.

First aid was given by the volunteer crew who assisted the injured fisherman on board the lifeboat, which promptly returned to station to transfer the casualty to a waiting ambulance.

Conditions at the time of the callout were good, with light westerly winds and morning sunshine.

Commenting on the callout, Rosslare RNLI volunteer lifeboat press officer Jamie Ryan said: "The RNLI volunteers were very swift in transferring the casualty to shore as they were already at sea on exercise."