Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI lifeboat rescued a woman and her dog who became cut off from the shore by the incoming tide on Sunday afternoon (29 January) at Sandymount Strand on Dublin Bay.
The volunteer crew were alerted shortly after 3 pm by the Irish Coast Guard following a mobile phone call from the woman who was forced to stand her ground on a sandbank while the tide came in all around her and her dog.
The volunteer crew launched the inshore lifeboat within 10 minutes of receiving the call and arrived at the scene by 3.20 pm.
The lifeboat, helmed by Alan Keville and with two crew members onboard, immediately made its way to the scene. A westerly wind brought choppy sea conditions on the bay with waves of over one metre on the rising tide.
The walker and her dog were out for their beach stroll when they got into difficulty, and the tide came in across Sandymount Strand. Arriving on scene, the helm brought the inshore lifeboat to its minimum depth, and two volunteer RNLI crew Moselle Hogan and Andrew Sykes, waded the short distance to the sandbank and rescued the woman and her dog, bringing them safely aboard the lifeboat and onto the beach at Poolbeg where they were met by the Coast Guard.
Following the call out, Dun Laoghaire RNLI Helm Alan Keville said: ‘We would like to commend the dog walker for doing the right thing by calling 999 and raising the alarm immediately. Time is always of the essence in these situations.
‘We would remind visitors to the coast to always be aware of local tide times before planning a walk. The tide comes in and out twice in each 24-hour period, and while tide times can be predicted, they can also vary at each location and change daily. A beach or coastal area may appear a safe place for a walk, but an incoming tide can quickly leave you stranded.’
