#coastguard – A man has been rescued from his car after being swamped by the rising tide on the causeway between Overton and Sunderland Point.

Liverpool Coastguard received a 999 call from a member of the public just after midday. They reported that a car was totally surrounded by the incoming tide and someone was trapped inside.

The Morecambe and Knott End Coastguard Rescue Teams, the Morecambe RNLI inshore lifeboat, the search and rescue helicopter from RAF Valley along with fire and ambulance crews were sent to the scene.

When the lifeboat crew arrived at the car, they found it was almost completely full of water. They had to smash the window to free the man inside. He was then taken to shore, and passed into the care of the ambulance crew.

Graham Parr, Watch Manager at Liverpool Coastguard, said:

"The lifeboat crew arrived on scene just in time to grab this man from his car and take him to safety.

"We are on spring tides at the moment, so the water floods in at an incredibly fast pace. We always recommend that people check tide times before setting out, for any activity on the coast, particularly if you plan to drive over a causeway. During highwater, it's likely the road will be covered with water and with it strong undercurrents. It's just not worth the risk.

#RNLI - The volunteer crew of the Bundoran RNLI lifeboat were paged by Malin Head Coastguard yesterday afternoon (Wednesday 6 August) to a family of four who were trapped on rocks near Tullan Strand at the Co Donegal town.

A member of the public who heard the family calling for help phoned 112 to alert the Irish Coast Guard, who quickly paged the lifeboat at 5.49pm.

Within minutes of the alert, the Bundoran lifeboat launched and was quickly on scene. However, the water was too shallow to bring the boat closer to the family.

Shortly afterwards the Sligo-based coastguard helicopter Rescue 118 arrived, winching the family into the helicopter and lowering them onto the beach, where they were met by members of the RNLI shore crew.

"The situation may have been much worse had the member of the public not heard the shouts for help," said Bundoran RNLI helm Dessie Daly. 

"We are thankful that they made the quick decision to call the emergency services and get us launched."

#Diving - A group of scuba diving enthusiasts had a lucky escape yesterday (Saturday 2 August) after their boat drifted towards rocks off the Clare coast, as Independent.ie reports.

The six divers and the boat's skipper had been on an expedition in Liscannor Bay less than half a kilometre from the shore when the boat suffered engine failure.

The group was left adrift as weather conditions deteriorated, but the Irish Coast Guard's Doolin unit responded swiftly, along with the Shannon-based coastguard helicopter Rescue 115.

Independent.ie has more on the story HERE.

#Coastguard - A man in his 70s has died after collapsing in the shallows at the popular beach at Lahinch, Co Clare yesterday afternoon.

As The Irish Times reports, the man suddenly collapsed and was quickly pulled from the water by fellow beachgoers.

Beach lifeguards reached the unconscious casualty within a minute and used a defibrillator to try to revive him, while the Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard and paramedics from Ennistymon and Ennis raced to the scene.

Despite best efforts, however, he was pronounced dead at the scene of a suspected heart attack.

#coastguard – A Coastguard-coordinated rescue in the Bristol Channel last night (Thursday 24th) has underlined the importance of ensuring a vessel is seaworthy and properly equipped before taking to the waves.

Just before midnight, the Swansea Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre were contacted by the police who had received a call from a mariner, accompanied only by his dog, whose 17ft sailing boat had become stranded mid-Channel, just south of Lundy Island, after the outboard motor failed.

Upon further investigation it was discovered that the vessel was one of the least seaworthy that Swansea Coastguards had encountered in a good while: its hull was leaking, the mast was missing, with an old windsurfing rig serving as a poor substitute; the boat had no lights, no VHF radio – the sailor contacted the emergency services on a mobile phone – and his GPS device wasn't working, so he was unable to give his position. Coastguards had to use onshore telecommunications beacons to estimate his location to within 30km.

The optimistic voyager, who had also neglected to carry any charts, informed Coastguards that he was en route to the Hebrides, having set out from Instow, North Devon.

Coastguards had to use onshore telecommunications beacons to estimate his position to within 30km. This enabled them to task the search and rescue helicopter from Chivenor who spent two hours searching for a boat in the dark with no lights on, and just after four in the morning the sailor and canine companion were winched from the boat. RNLI's Appledore lifeboat was tasked to recover the vessel from a position 2.5 miles SSW of Lundy so that it was no longer a danger to shipping in the busy Bristol Channel. The volunteer lifeboat crew returned to station at 0915 in the morning, ready for a full day's work.

Bernie Kemble, Swansea Coastguard Watch Officer, said: "So many things were wrong with this gentleman's boat and lack of preparation that the situation was almost comical. He had taken to sea in what was effectively a leaky fibreglass hull, without even the most basic communications and safety equipment.

"Thankfully, weather conditions were calm, he was avoided by other vessels in the area and he was able to use the only piece of communications equipment he had to hand – his mobile phone – to raise the alarm. However, the situation could have been far more serious and he and his dog were lucky that they were rescued promptly.

"We would remind anyone in trouble at sea or on the coast to dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard."

The sailor and his dog were both reported to be unharmed by their ordeal.

#WaterSafety - The Irish Coast Guard has reiterated its warning to the public not to go to sea in unsuitable craft after two children were recovered from a small dinghy off North Co Dublin on Monday evening.

As TheJournal.ie reports, a routine coastguard patrol off Howth happened upon the two boys who had set out to sea in the tiny inflatable with armbands instead of lifejackets.

The boys were taken aboard the coastguard vessel "for their own safety" and taken back to dry land at Howth Harbour.

Coastguard officials highlighted this incident as a perfect example of the kind of dangerous behaviour the public should avoid on the water.

Coastal rescue teams may get some reprieve from the hot weather over the new few days, however, with Independent.ie reporting a drop in temperatures, cloudy skies and spells of rain from tomorrow.

#marinepollution – New high-tech equipment that can be deployed anywhere in the UK to clean up oil spills is today being put to the test in Belfast Harbour.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has recently purchased two new pieces of equipment known as the NOFI Current Buster 6. This is the very latest in up to date technology and was developed following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response in 2010.

The latest piece of kit can operate five times faster, as the hydrodynamic shape reduces the drag force and allows the system to move more easily through the water. This model also has debris nets, wave dampers and a splash-over cover to avoid spillages. With an oily water separator it has a temporary storage capacity of 70m2.

The MCA is often called upon to deal with a wide range of pollution incidents off the UK coast and has a detailed plan of action and equipment in place to deal with such issues.

Gail Robertson, the MCA's Counter Pollution Resource Manager, said:

"The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has a thorough response procedure in place to deal with many different types of emergencies at sea that cause pollution, or threatens to cause pollution.

"Demonstrations like the one in Belfast Harbour today show how our equipment is fit for purpose. These two NOFI Current Buster 6 will enhance and boost our response capability around the whole of the UK."

Attending the demonstration, Environment Minister Mark H Durkan said:

"There have been some major oil spills at sea in recent years in other parts of the world, which caused devastating damage to the marine and coastal environment and to the wider economy in those regions. Given that the North of Ireland imports all of its oil by sea and that several major shipping routes pass close to our coast, it is not inconceivable that a serious marine oil spill could occur on or close to our coastline. It is therefore vital that we tackle such incidents with the most modern of technology. The fact that we now have equipment which is five times faster in cleaning up such serious pollution is most welcome."

#Coastguard - The HSE has been criticised for deploying two Irish Coast Guard helicopters to the Aran Islands for injured woman who could have been transported to hospital by a commercial flight.

The Irish Times reports that the HSE West has defended its actions in deploying successive rescue helicopters to airlift the elderly tourist as part of the coastguard's air ambulance service, despite the Inis Mór GP who treated her broken ankle describing the injury as not serious.

But the National Ambulance Service does not have a contract with Aer Arann, which operates commuter plane flights in the islands, necessitating a medevac by coastguard helicopter at an estimated total cost of €7,000.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

#Coastguard - Four members of Sligo's Irish Coast Guard helicopter crew are in Canada this week to receive a prestigious award for their efforts in the rescue of a climber from the Bluestack Mountains.

As The Irish Times reports, the four men - Capt Paul Forbes, co-pilot Paraic Slattery, winch operator John McCartney and winchman Conal McCarron - have been picked from a shortlist of 200 for the American Helicopter Society's Fredrick L Feinberg award in recognition of their daring rescue on 15 May last year in extremely difficult conditions.

On one of the final missions for the Sligo coastguard unit's Sikorsky S-61 helicopter, the crew hovered just feet from a sheer cliff face in total darkness and high winds to retrieve the climber, who had broken his leg.

It's not the first time the Rescue 118 crew have been lauded for their bravery on that day, as they've previously received an award from the helicopter's manufacturer.

The Irish Times has more on the story HERE.

#fireonboard – A man has been rescued off the West Wales coast today following a major fire on his boat.

The 26ft pleasure boat is still ablaze 600 metres off Aberystwyth and Coastguards are asking all vessels in the area to stay a mile from it as a precaution.

The vessel contains flares, some of which are going off at the scene, and a gas canister.

The RNLI Lifeboat from Aberystwyth is monitoring the situation and Aberystwyth Coastguard Rescue Team are also on standby on the shoreline to report any possible pollution and wreckage.

The RNLI Inshore Lifeboat from Aberystwyth rescued the man around 10:30am and he was taken by ambulance to hospital in the town.

Roger Reed, Watch Manager at Milford Haven Coastguard, said: "Resources were quickly on scene and the man isn't believed to have suffered any serious injuries.

"The boat is severely ablaze and there is a lot of smoke. We have put out a security broadcast advising other vessels in the area to stay well clear of it."