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AfloatDigi 2018 CHMarine SafetySection

Search & Rescue, Water Safety - News from the Marine Safety Agencies
Coast Guard Finds Child at Base of Cliff
#coastguard – Belfast Coastguard coordinated the search yesterday evening for a child who was missing near cliffs close to the Silvercliff Caravan Park at Ballycastle. The Ballycastle and Coleraine Coastguard Rescue Teams, a Police helicopter, the rescue helicopter from RAF…
Crosshaven RNLI Helped in Race to Save Cork Harbour Scuba Diver
#rnil – As Afloat.ie reported earlier Crosshaven Lifeboat were paged at 6.08pm (14 June) to a Dive Boat near Roches Point with an unresponsive diver on Board. The lifeboat met with the Dive Boat off Fort Camden and transferred volunteer Ian Venner, who…
Marine Notice: Two-Day Geophysical Survey In Killala Bay
#MarineNotice - EGS International Ltd is scheduled today (13 June) to begin a two-day geophysical cable route survey involving multibeam echo-sounder bathymetry, side-scan sonar, magnetometer and sub-bottom profiling off the Irish coast at Killala Bay. The survey follows from a…
Friday the 13th Full Moon Water Safety Warning
#watersafety – Hot weather often lulls people into a false sense of security that will place lives at risk this weekend at beaches, rivers and lakes. Knowing the dangers will reduce the chance of drowning tragedies that average five per…
Dunmore East Lifeboat Assists Yacht With Fouled Propeller In Busy Shipping Lane
#RNLI - The Dunmore East RNLI lifeboat launched yesterday (Tuesday 10 June) to assist a yacht that fouled its propeller on a mooring on the northern side of Cheekpoint in the Waterford Estuary. At lunchtime the Irish Coast Guard's Marine Rescue…
Coastguard Oil Spill Equipment Tested on Belfast Lough
#marinepollution – New high-tech equipment that can be deployed anywhere in the UK to clean up oil spills is today being put to the test in Belfast Harbour. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has recently purchased two new pieces…
Arklow RNLI To Feature In RTÉ Series 'Abhainn'
#RNLI - Volunteers from Arklow RNLI in Co Wicklow are to feature in RTÉ's Irish language programme Abhainn. The TV series features the rivers of Ireland, and this episode (to be broadcast in September) looks at the Avoca River from…
Friends Of Cheeki Rafiki Skipper Raise £20k In A Day For RNLI
#RNLI - Friends of Andrew Bridge, the 21-year-old skipper of the lost yacht Cheeki Rafiki, are setting sail in his memory to raise money for the RNLI. And donations to their fundraising page for the lifeboat charity have reached £20,000…
HSE Defends Coastguard Medevac For Islands Tourist With Broken Ankle
#Coastguard - The HSE has been criticised for deploying two Irish Coast Guard helicopters to the Aran Islands for injured woman who could have been transported to hospital by a commercial flight. The Irish Times reports that the HSE West…
Arklow Lifeboat Assists Adrift Fishing Vessel
#RNLI - Arklow RNLI’s volunteers were alerted by pager at 09:47am yesterday morning (Wednesday 4 June) to a call for help from a local fishing boat. The vessel had suffered a fouled propeller and was adrift just south of Cahore Point, halfway…
Vessel Aground On Lough Derg, RNLI Lifeboat Launches
#rnli – Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat launched to assist two people whose vessel ran aground at the entrance to Terryglass Harbour, at the northern end of Lough Derg This evening, June 4, Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat…
Lough Derg Lifeboat Investigates Drifting Dinghy
#RNLI - Lough Derg RNLI's lifeboat launched on Sunday 1 June to investigate reports of a dinghy adrift off Parker's Point on the Clare shore. At 6.35pm Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI to investigate reports of a dinghy…
Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat Celebrates Tenth Birthday
#rnli – On May 25, 2014, the Lough Derg RNLI Lifeboat Station celebrated its tenth birthday. In those ten years, the lifeboat has launched 236 times, 60 of those at night. Volunteer crews have rescued 322 people and saved the…
Wicklow Lifeboat Launches To Fishing Vessel
#RNLI - The Wicklow lifeboat launched shortly after 10.30am yesterday morning (Friday 30 May) to assist a fishing vessel 13 miles off Wicklow harbour. The 13-metre vessel was fishing for whelk when a rope fouled its propeller and it was…
Four Calls In 24 Hours For Portaferry Lifeboat
#RNLI - The volunteer lifeboat crew at Portaferry RNLI responded to four separate calls in the space of 24 hours between Thursday 29 and Friday 30 May. The first call was received at 6.07pm on Thursday to help four people…
Irish Coast Guard Advice to Public Over June Bank Holiday Weekend
#coastguard – The Irish Coast Guard has today issued advice to members of the public in advance of the June Bank Holiday in relation to Water Safety, Cliff Walking and other Water sports and Coastal Activities. Throughout the summer (as…

Every Year Ireland's Search & Rescue Services deliver emergency life saving work on our seas, lakes and rivers.

Ireland's Water Safety Agencies work hard to provide us with the information we need to keep safe, while enjoying all manner of water based activities.

There's no better fun than getting out on the water but being afloat is a responsibility we all need to take seriously.

These pages detail the work of the rescue agencies. We also aim to promote safety standards among pleasure boaters, and by doing so, prevent, as far as possible, the loss of life at sea and on inland waters. If you have ideas for our pages we'd love to hear from you. Please email us at [email protected]

Think Before You Sink - Wear a Lifejacket

Accidents can happen fast on water and there may not be time to reach for a lifejacket in an emergency therefore don't just carry a lifejacket - wear it; if it's not on you, it can't save your life.

Irish Water Safety's Safe Boating Alert:

Check condition of boat and equipment, hull, engine, fuel, tools, torch.

Check the weather forecast for the area.

Check locally concerning dangerous currents and strong tides.

Do not drink alcohol while setting out or during your trip.

Carry an alternative means of propulsion e.g. sails and oars or motor and oars.

Carry a first aid kit on board and distress signals (at least two parachute distress rockets, two red hand flares).

Carry a fire extinguisher, a hand bailer or bucket with lanyard and an anchor with rope attached.

Carry marine radio or some means of communication with shore.

Do not overload the boat - this will make it unstable.

Do not set out unless accompanied by an experienced person.

Leave details of your planned trip with someone ashore - including departure and arrival times, description of boat, names of persons on board, etc.

Wear a Lifejacket at all times.

Keep an eye on the weather - seek shelter in good time.

In Marine Emergencies, call 999 or 112 and ask for Marine Rescue.

Lifejackets Checklist

Ensure Cartridges have not been punctured and are secured firmly.

Ensure all zips, buckles, fasteners and webbing straps are functioning correctly and adjusted to fit the user.

Check that fitted lights are operating correctly.

Ensure that Automatic Inflation devices are fully serviced and in date.

Check that the valve or lifejacket is not leaking.