Spanish Point beach in Clare will be amongst the safest in Ireland this Saturday when 152 Lifeguards from nine counties test their skills at Irish Water Safety's National Beach Rescue Championships.
Simulated emergency rescue scenarios incorporating running, swimming, kayaking and paddle boarding race formats are designed to test their lifesaving skills.
These championships will see trained lifeguards compete in beach and open water events of this multifaceted sport which has Olympic Category 2 standing and is recognised by the World Sports Federation.
Irish Lifeguards won a record eighteen medals in August at the European Rescue Championships in Wales.
Competitions throughout the year see Lifeguards qualify as the top competitors in the country who now go head to head for the overall national title. The 152 competitors represent the best in a discipline in which 113,000 members of the public were certified to various levels by IWS last year.
The value of this training is reflected in the fact that 831 people were rescued from drowning by Lifeguards at Irish waterways last year.
"The sport of Lifesaving has been developed to improve the standard of lifeguarding in Ireland," commented Seamus O'Neill, chairman of Irish Water Safety's Sports Commission. "This gives us great confidence in the skills of our lifeguards on Ireland's beaches and waterways."
