Galway City Council has said it wants to clarify “a number of inaccuracies currently being reported in the media” in relation to a ban on water sports at Silverstrand Beach.
It says the most recent risk assessment completed by the International Lifesaving Federation of Europe for Silverstrand recommended the following prohibitions:
- No windsurfing
- No towed water activity
- No mechanically powered craft
- No surf craft
- No personalised watercraft (meaning small, fast recreational vessel that uses a jet pump to propel itself through water)
- No kitesurfing
It says that “contrary to other public information in circulation, the risk assessment and the signage at Silverstrand do not prohibit paddle boarding, body boarding, canoeing or kayaking”.
However the Galway City Watersports campaign has said that the signage at Silverstrand bans a broad range of activities such as "Windsurfing", "Kitesurfing" and "Surf craft".
It says that there are “terms which can encompass surfboards, kayaks, and stand-up paddle (SUP) boards”.
The campaign also notes that the Galway City Council Silverstrand Code of Conduct document states:
“The designated bathing area is strictly for bathing only. Do not Surf, Windsurf, Kite Surf, Paddle-board or Kayak inside the bathing area....”
In its statement, the city council says that full width of the beach is zoned a designated bathing area, and the beach in question in full is only 200 metres in width.
“This is a very popular beach in season for local families and tourists. Over 2.4 million tourists visit Galway annually, and a population of 22,000 in Knocknacarra is on the doorstep of Silverstrand,”it says.
“The vast majority of visitors to Silverstrand are there to play on the sand and swim in the sea,”it says, and its aim is “to ensure that our amenities continue to be enjoyed in a safe, inclusive, and responsible manner - now and into the future”.
It emphasises that safety is its primary concern.
Commenting on two actions arising from an engagement with stakeholders and local water sports clubs, it says in relation to the first action that an expert environmental assessment of the western rocky shoreline at Silverstrand found that installation of a slipway or raised ramp would not pass an appropriate assessment test.
It says that installation of a launch way would not be feasible.
The council says that it will proceed with the second action to explore and assess alternative locations where water sports activities could potentially be accommodated, along Galway Bay.
“We value the input of all stakeholders and will continue to engage constructively going forward on this action,”it says.
Responding to the council’s statement, the campaign points out that the council’s own website lists the beach as 250 metres long.
The campaign says that through an FOI request, it obtained a copy of the 2017, Water Safety Ireland / International Life Saving Federation of Europe risk assessment report for Silverstrand beach.
The 2017 report recommended that “clear zoning needs to be put in place to identify where the lifeguards patrol, where it is best and safest to swim and where other beach activities can take place.”
“This recommendation to zone the beach in the 2017 report was never implemented by Galway City Council,”the campaign says.
“If the zoning was implemented at that time, we would not be where we are today,”it says.
