Youghal is set to host the annual WSI Surf Rescue Championships this weekend, with local competitors from Cork seeking to benefit from home-field advantage. Co. Clare will be aiming to maintain their supremacy in the sport, which boasts a dedicated following of approximately 4,000 active participants throughout Ireland, including many leading lifeguards.
The competition will encompass a range of key skills, both in the ocean and on the beach, utilising a combination of athleticism, swimming, and rescue techniques. In February, a corresponding championship for pool rescue is held at the UL Sports Campus.
This year, over 200 competitors from ten counties, including seniors and masters, will be participating in the event, which commences at 9:00 am on Saturday.
“The Surf Rescue Championships present a wonderful opportunity for Ireland’s top lifesavers to compete against one another and further enhance their lifesaving skills,” stated Simon McGarrigle, Chair of Water Safety Ireland’s Sports Commission. “Competitors are involved in patrolling beaches and pools in Ireland and offshore throughout the year. The sport provides so much worth to the community by improving the skillset of lifeguards at Ireland’s aquatic amenities.”
Ireland’s national squad recently came back from the European Junior Lifesaving Championships in Poland with an impressive haul of 24 medals, a testament to the heartily of volunteer coaches, referees, and competitors nationwide. The Senior national squad will likewise be departing next week for their opportunity to match the juniors in the European Senior Lifesaving Championships in Belgium from 16th to the 21st September.
WSI Surf Rescue Championships Competition Descriptions
Water Events
Surf Race: With a running start into the surf from the start line on the beach, competitors swim around the 400 m (280 m for Masters) course designated by buoys, returning to shore to finish between the finish flags on the beach.
Ski Race: Competitors steady their surf skis in line in knee-deep water about 1.5 m apart. Competitors must obey directions from the starter or check starter concerning surf ski alignment at the start. On the starting signal, competitors paddle their surf skis around the course marked by buoys and return to finish when any part of the surf ski crosses the inwater finish line – ridden, gripped, or carried by the competitor.
Ocean Man/Woman: Competitors cover a 1.2 km course that includes a swim leg, a board leg, a surf ski leg, and a beach sprint finish. Conditions of racing of each leg are as generally required for the individual conditions of that discipline including the rules governing the component disciplines: surf ski races, board races, surf races, beach sprints.
Board Race: Competitors stand on or behind the start line on the beach with their boards 1.5 m apart. At the start signal, competitors enter the water, launch their boards, and paddle the course marked by the buoys, return to the beach, and run to cross the finish line.
Beach Events
20m Flags: From a prone starting position on the beach, competitors rise, turn and race approximately 20 m to obtain a baton (beach flag) seated upright in the sand with about two-thirds showing. Since there are always fewer batons than competitors, those who fail to obtain a baton are eliminated.
90m Sprints: Competitors take their positions in their allotted lanes. At the starting signal, competitors race the 90 m (70 m for Masters) course to the finish line. The finish is judged on the competitors’ chest (only) crossing the finish line. Competitors must finish the event on their feet in an upright position.
Tube Rescue: Four competitors from each team participate in this event: a “victim,” one rescue tube swimmer, and two rescuers. The victim swims approximately 120 m to a designated buoy, signals, and waits to be rescued by the rescue tube swimmer. As they return to shore, the remaining two rescuers enter the water to assist. The event finishes when the first competitor in a team crosses the finish line while in contact with the victim.
