Bundoran RNLI’s volunteer crew were paged at 8.03pm on Monday evening (8 September) following reports of two people in difficulty in the water at Tullan Strand.
Helmed by Oisín Cassidy with crew members Laura Gillespie, Mark Vaughan and Finn Mullen onboard, the inshore lifeboat launched into challenging conditions with a Force 4 southerly wind and a 3 metre swell.
The lifeboat arrived on scene at 8.11pm, within eight minutes of pagers sounding.
It was established that the two casualties had been fishing from rocks near the Fairy Bridges when one was swept into the sea by a wave. The second casualty entered the water in an attempt to rescue their companion.
While awaiting rescue, the casualty in the water managed to remain in the Float to Live position until help arrived.
Alongside the RNLI, the National Ambulance Service, An Garda Síochána and the Sligo-based Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 118 were also tasked to the incident and remained on scene until the casualties were recovered from the water and transferred to Sligo University Hospital for further treatment.
Speaking after the call-out, Bundoran RNLI lifeboat operations manager Daimon Fergus said: “I would like to thank the members of the public who quickly threw a lifebuoy to the casualty in the water and also all of the emergency services who worked together with our crew during this rescue.”
