RNLI lifeguards will return to five Causeway Coast beaches to provide cover during this year’s Easter holidays.

Commencing this Good Friday (14 April), lifeguards will be operating from Beach Lifeguard Units on Benone Strand, Portstewart Strand, East and West Strands in Portrush and Whiterocks.

The lifeguards will be on duty daily from 11am to 7pm up until Sunday 23 April.

Following the Easter break the lifeguards will resume a weekend duty on the five beaches on the Causeway Coast and also on Tyrella beach in County Down. Daily full time cover will commence on all eight beaches on the Causeway Coast and three in County Down on Saturday 24 June. This will run throughout the summer season finishing on Sunday 3 September. Weekend cover will continue until the end of September.

Ahead of the Easter cover resuming on Good Friday, RNLI lifeguards have spent three weeks in intensive induction training with the lifeguard management team to ensure they are fully prepared for the season ahead.

RNLI lifeguard supervisor Karl O’Neill said they are expecting a busy week: ‘Pre-season preparations have went well and our lifeguards are ready and looking forward to getting back on the beaches and doing what they do best, providing beach safety advice to visitors and helping out anyone who might find themselves in difficulty either in the water or on the beach itself.

We would remind anyone planning a trip to the beach to be mindful that particularly at this stage in the season the water is still cold. Come dressed for the weather conditions to ensure your visit is both safe and enjoyable.’ 

The RNLI has been working closely with its colleagues in the Causeway Coast and Glens District Council to ensure the beaches and lifeguard units are ready and equipped and that lifeguard training and preparation has been carried out seamlessly and successfully.

‘With the training complete, our lifeguards are looking forward to being back on patrol and putting their skills into action,’ Karl continued. ‘During the Easter break we would encourage visitors to speak to our lifeguards, ask for safety advice, and most importantly call on them should they find themselves in difficulty’.

The RNLI’s advice for anyone planning a trip to the beach is to respect the water, check weather and tide times before you go and if planning to go into the water, swim at a lifeguarded beach, between the red and yellow flags. Avoid using inflatables in strong winds or rough seas.

If you get into trouble, stick your hand in the air and shout for help and if you see someone else in trouble, tell a lifeguard. If you can’t see a lifeguard, call 909 or 112 and ask for the Coastguard.

Last year, lifeguards in Northern Ireland responded to 235 incidents coming to the aid of 255 people. Incidents ranged from saving a life, carrying out a rescue, assisting a casualty, providing casualty care and minor first aid to being involved in searches, near misses and incidents involving missing and found people. The lifeguards also worked closely with their colleagues at Portrush, Newcastle and Kilkeel RNLI lifeboat stations.

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI rescued a swimmer in difficulty yesterday afternoon (Tuesday 11 April) after he encountered a strong tide near Shenick Island and was unable to make his way ashore.

Dublin Coast Guard tasked Skerries RNLI shortly before noon after receiving an emergency call from a member of the public who had spotted a swimmer struggling to make any progress against the tide at the island off Skerries.

Volunteers launched the Atlantic 85 inshore lifeboat Louis Simson, with David Knight at the helm and crew Philip Ferguson, Joe May and Laura Boylan.

The lifeboat proceeded to the area indicated by the caller, where an Irish Coast Guard helicopter had also arrived on scene. They took the male casualty on board the lifeboat, protected him from the elements, and began first aid assessments as they made their way back to the station.

The casualty had swallowed seawater during his efforts to swim to shore and as a result, on the advice of the crew, he was transferred by ambulance to hospital for further assessment.

Speaking after the callout, Skerries RNLI lifeboat press office Gerry Canning said: “We’ve had a couple of tidal-related incidents in the last few days. We’d just like to remind people that the strength and height of the tide varies throughout the month.

“We would strongly recommend checking tide tables before engaging in any activity on or near the sea.”

The Bangor and Donaghadee RNLI lifeboats launched last week following a ‘Mayday’ call. It was a hoax. Someone decided to make a false call and those two lifeboat crews in Northern Ireland started a search for what was reported to be “a kayaker in trouble… “ Afloat's report of the incident is here.

A rescue helicopter was also called in from Prestwick in Scotland… A search was carried out and the Coast Guard established the call as “an elaborate hoax..”

Bearing in mind the tragedy of Irish Coast Guard helicopter R116 and with the search for two of that crew still continuing, the hoax call-out which resulted in Bangor and Donaghadee lifeboats being launched and the Prestwick helicopter called in from Scotland, was shocking…. So on my Podcast this week I highlight the serious dangers caused by hoax call-outs.

Listen to the Podcast here and the response of the RNLI.

#RNLI - A volunteer crew from Bangor RNLI was tasked with helping a yacht with three people and a dog on passage from Girvan in Western Scotland to Bangor Marina yesterday (Monday 10 April).

The yacht had a fouled prop and was making slow headway into the wind. Without engine power, they were unable to make their way safely to the Belfast Lough marina.

The inshore lifeboat, led by helmsman Peter Semple, attended – and as they approached the yacht they were informed the fouled prop had freed itself.

The crew offered to escort the yacht to safety to avoid further risk, and this offer was gratefully received.

Once in the marina, the lifeboat ensured all was well and returned to station.

Semple said: "We are delighted to have helped this yacht into the safety of Bangor Marina. In the event, we were not needed to tow the vessel, but the crew were happy to see us.”

#RNLI - Skerries RNLI rescued a man and a woman and two dogs on Sunday evening (9 April) after they had been stranded on rocks by the rising tide in Loughshinny.

Dublin Coast Guard tasked Skerries RNLI shortly before 9pm on Sunday evening, having received a 999 call from two people who had been cut off by the tide.

The lifeboat was launched with volunteer Eoin Grimes at the helm and crewed by Paddy Dillon, Emma Wilson and Peter Kennedy.

Making their way directly to Loughshinny Harbour, the lifeboat crew began a search of the immediate area. They spotted the casualty on the rocks using the light on a mobile phone to signal for help.

The casualties were taken on board the lifeboat and dropped back to the harbour, where they were met by volunteers from Skerries Coast Guard unit.

Conditions at the time were moderate with a Force 3 to 4 northerly wind.

Speaking about the callout, Skerries RNLI lifeboat operations manager Niall McGrotty said: “We’d like to remind everyone making the most of the coast in the good weather to always check the tides and forecast for the area and to carry a means of calling for help.”

#RNLI - At the end of a busy week for Bangor RNLI, the Belfast Lough volunteer crew launched to the rescue of two young paddleboarders who had got into difficulty just outside Ballyholme Bay yesterday (Saturday 8 April).

Launching just after 5pm following a call from the public, the Bangor lifeboat Jessie Hillyard launched to aid two girls who had been caught out by an offshore wind that was causing them to drift further out to sea.

Although it was a beautiful afternoon weather-wise, the girls hadn’t factored in the offshore wind, and this led to them getting more tired as they tried to return to base at Ballyholme Yacht Club.

The Bangor lifeboat, helmed by Peter Semple, made light work of picking up the girls and their boards and returning them to the slipway at the yacht club, where they were passed into the care of HM Coastguard.

After the rescue, Semple said: “We are delighted to have been able to return the two girls to safety. On arrival at the scene we were pleased to see that they were both wearing wetsuits and buoyancy aids, and had just misjudged the offshore wind.”

All 25 members of the St Helier Lifeboat crew on Jersey have resigned along with five members of the admin & management team. It follows a meeting between the boats Coxswain, Andy Hibbs and the RNLI yesterday where he was asked to stand down, according to an ITV News report.

The Lifeboat organisation have released the following statement:
Due to breaches of the RNLI’s Volunteer Code of Conduct, the RNLI has asked one volunteer at St Helier lifeboat station to stand down with immediate effect. Other volunteers have chosen to step down, which has forced the RNLI to declare the St Helier lifeboats off service temporarily.

The RNLI has a duty of care to our volunteers and those we rescue, and must provide a safe and effective lifesaving service. We understand the impact of standing down volunteers and we do not take such decisions lightly.

We are working hard to bring in extra support and put the St Helier all-weather lifeboat back on service in the next couple of days.

In the meantime, we are working with our colleagues across the emergency services to provide an effective maritime rescue service.

Out of respect to all those involved in this confidential process we cannot go into more detail.

– RNLI SPOKESPERSON

#RNLI - Following yesterday’s hoax calls, Bangor RNLI’s lifeboat volunteers rescued a man clinging to a capsized dinghy in Ballyholme Bay this afternoon (Monday 3 April).

The casualty, a 26-year old man, had quickly got into difficulty and capsized after launching from the Belfast Lough beach in a strong offshore wind gusting up to 30 knots.

This was seen by a member of the public who called 999, and CGOC Belfast Coastguard requested Bangor RNLI to respond.

Arriving on scene within minutes, the crew were delighted to see that the man had stayed with his boat and not tried to make it to shore. They were also happy to report that he was wearing appropriate safety gear: a wetsuit with a buoyancy aid.

After taking the casualty on board and assessing that he was uninjured, they returned him and his boat to the beach where the coastguard were waiting to assist.

Bangor lifeboat helm James Gillespie said: “This man clearly made the wrong decision to attempt to sail in a new boat in such conditions, but by wearing appropriate wet weather gear and staying with his boat he made our rescue much easier.

“The body tires quickly is cold water and he made the right decision to stay with his boat, knowing that his plight had been seen from the shore.”

Bangor RNLI’s deputy launching authority, Bryan Lawther added: “We are delighted to have been to help this man and bring him to safety. He has been advised to further his sailing knowledge with the assistance of a yacht club where rescue services are always on hand for learners.

“After yesterday’s hoax calls, this rescue highlights the importance of our service and our willingness to attend any genuine call.”

#Hoax - The UK coastguard has decried an “elaborate hoax” after lifeboats and a coastguard helicopter were launched after several calls from someone claiming to be a kayaker in difficulty off the Co Down coast.

As BBC News reports, lifeboats from Bangor and Donaghadee RNLI respectively joined a rescue helicopter from HM Coastguard in Scotland in the search off the Copeland Islands yesterday (Sunday 2 April) that was declared a hoax after a thorough search of the area.

#Rescue - The Irish Times reports on the rescue of eight divers off the Sligo coast after a boat capsized this morning (Sunday 19 March).

Sligo Bay RNLI were tasked to the scene off Aughris Pier in Sligo town after the incident during a diving excursion, rescuing seven from a heavy swell.

An eighth person was subsequently recovered from the water and airlifted to Sligo Hospital by the Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 118, which was diverted from the ongoing search for the missing crew of Rescue 116.

Independent.ie reports that the latter diver was in serious condition, and that a second diver was later hospitalised.