On Thursday, the 15th of February, Union Hall RNLI in West Cork responded to a report of a swimmer in trouble at The Warren Beach, Rosscarbery, in West Cork. The call was made to Valentia Coast Guard at 2.44 pm.
The lifeboat, Christine and Raymond Fielding, helmed by Michael Limrick and manned by Charlie Deasy and Cathal Deasy, left the station at 2.53 pm and headed for the Warren strand. They were assisted ashore by Peter Deasy, Niamh Collins, and Anthony Walsh.
Conditions at sea were favourable, with moderate swell and wind in a southwesterly direction. On arriving on the scene, Valentia Coast Guard informed the volunteer lifeboat crew that the search was for a paddle boarder.
The Irish Coast Guard helicopter crew from Rescue 115 at Shannon, Castlefreke Coast Guard ground unit, and the crew of a fishing trawler that was also on the scene were already carrying out a search pattern.
The crew of Rescue 115 located the casualty and notified the lifeboat crew, who picked up the paddle boarder and headed to the Warren strand. An HSE ambulance was waiting there with a family member to take care of the casualty.