Multi‑Agency Search at Forty Foot on Dublin Bay Yields No Casualty

23rd November 2025

Afloat.ie Team

A Coastguard helicopter, rescue vessels and crews launched at the Forty Foot during the search operation

RNLI Rescue vessels and crews launched at the Forty Foot during the search operation" />Rescue vessels and crews launched at the Forty Foot in Dublin today, with Coast Guard, lifeboats and naval service participating in a multi‑agency search after a swimmer alert. Credit: Afloat

A multi‑agency search operation was launched at the Forty Foot bathing site in Dublin at around lunchtime today.

The Irish Coast Guard, R116 helicopter, both Dún Laoghaire Lifeboats, and the LÉ Samuel Beckett from the Irish Naval Service all took part.

Search teams covered sea and shore off Dun Laoghaire on the southside of Dublin Bay but found no person in difficulty. “Nothing found,” according to the RNLI in Dun Laoghaire.

It appears the incident was a potential false alarm made in good faith. Volunteer crews were thanked for their swift response.

The public is reminded: if you suspect someone is in difficulty in or on the water, call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.

Published in Forty Foot Swimming

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Forty Foot

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Forty Foot Swimming Spot on Dublin Bay

The 'Forty Foot' is a rocky outcrop located at the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for 300 years or more. It is popular because it is one of few spots between Dublin city and Greystones in County Wicklow that allows for swimming at all stages of the tide, subject to the sea state.

Forty Foot History

Traditionally, the bathing spot was exclusively a men's bathing spot and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.

Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to everyone and it is in the control of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Many people believe that swimming in extremely cold water is healthy and good for the immune system.

Is it safe to swim at the Forty Foot?

The Forty-Foot is a great place to swim because there is always enough water to get a dip but like all sea swimming, there are always hazards you need to be aware of. For example, a lot of people like to dive into to the pool at the Forty-foot but there are submerged rocks that can be hazardous especially at low water. The Council have erected signs to warn people of the underwater dangers. Other hazards include slippy granite cut stone steps that can often be covered with seaweed and of course marine wildlife including jellyfish that make their presence felt in the summer months as do an inquisitive nearby Sandycove seal colony.