As the Easter weekend approaches, the Coast Guard, RNLI, and Water Safety Ireland are urging the public to take precautions to stay safe during water activities. With longer and brighter evenings, more people are expected to visit the coast or engage in water-based activities. Knowing basic water safety advice could help prevent accidents or tragedies.

Mixed weather conditions are expected over the weekend, with sunny periods followed by rain and showers. Water temperatures are relatively cold at this time of year, and inexperienced or occasional open water swimmers should take care to acclimatise slowly and manage their time in the water carefully. It is crucial to always be alert to the risk of cold water shock.

The organisations are encouraging people to follow some basic precautions to reduce the risk of accidents when visiting the coast or engaging in water activities. Some of these precautions include wearing a lifejacket, checking weather forecasts, staying away from the edge, and avoiding alcohol before or during water activities.

If sailing or motorboating:

• Always wear an appropriate lifejacket
• Always carry a means of calling and signalling for help
• When engaging on any type of boating activity; Ensure there is an emergency action plan in place, and everybody has an onboard briefing
• Get the right level of training for your craft
• Always check the weather and tide times
• Make sure someone on the shore knows where you are going and who to call if you don’t return on time.
• Always operate your boat at a speed that is appropriate to the weather conditions and to the environment you are operating in.

Attention is also drawn to the Code of Practice for the Safe Operation of Recreational Craft a valuable source of information, advice and best practice operational guidance for owners, masters, operators and users of a range of pleasure and recreational craft operating in Irish coastal and inland waters. It can be viewed at www.safetyonthewater.gov.ie

Gerard O’Flynn, Coast Guard Operations Manager said: ‘After a protracted period of broken weather and with the advent of longer evening daylight from Sunday, many people are looking forward to getting out and about along the coast or on the water. Always check the weather forecast, ensure that you have a means of communication, plan your activity and ensure that a colleague is aware of your plans and expected return time. Please also be alert to the risk of becoming isolated by incoming tides on beaches or coastal area particularly if setting out during lower tides.’

Roger Sweeney, Water Safety Ireland’s Deputy CEO said: ‘Over the course of five Easter holiday periods, 12 people drowned accidentally, mainly while swimming, angling, or after falling in while walking. To stay safe, keep cold water swims brief and shallow, wear a lifejacket when angling on the shoreline or riverbanks, and stay away from the water's edge when out walking. With nearly one million children on school holidays, and many visiting friends and family living on farms and near lakes, rivers, canals, and beaches, constant adult supervision is essential for their safety.’

Linda-Gene Byrne, RNLI Water Safety Lead added: ‘We are approaching the time of year when we will see boats back on the water and many are now looking forward to a season of sailing. While we want everyone to enjoy themselves, we want them to do so safely. Mechanical failure is the single biggest cause of rescue call outs to sailing and motor cruisers, accounting for nearly 20% of all our lifeboat launches. Knowing your boat, carrying spares and being able to fit them could make the difference between having to call for help and being able to help yourself.’

If you see somebody in trouble on the water or along the coast or think that they are in trouble, use marine VHF radio Ch 16 or dial 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.

Achill Island RNLI carried out a medical evacuation off Clare Island on Monday night (25 March).

The volunteer crew were requested to launch the station’s all-weather lifeboat just before 9pm following a request from the Irish Coast Guard to medevac a casualty who had sustained an arm injury.

The lifeboat launched shortly after under coxswain Patrick McNamara and with six crew members onboard.

There was poor visibility at the time with the darkness of night and rain. The wind was blowing south-westerly Force 4 and there were calm to moderate seas.

Once on scene, the crew assisted the casualty onto the lifeboat where they were then safely transferred to Roonagh.

Speaking following the call-out, Michael Cattigan, Achill Island RNLI mechanic who was on the lifeboat said: “This was the first call-out of the year for the station and we were delighted to be able to help. We wish the patient a speedy recovery.

“As we approach the Easter weekend and start to enjoy the longer evenings, we also want to remind anyone planning a trip or activity at sea, to enjoy themselves but to respect the water.

“Always wear a lifejacket or suitable flotation device and always carry a means of calling for help. If going out on a boat, check your engine in advance and make sure you have enough fuel for your trip.

“Always check the weather and tide times before venturing out and make sure someone on the shore knows where you are going and when you are due back. Should you get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.”

Saturday night's gathering of 242 cruising enthusiasts for a black-tie celebration at the Irish Cruising Club's Annual Gala Dinner in Cork, involving an international guest list to bring in officers from kindred clubs on both sides of the Atlantic, provided an ideal opportunity for lifeboat superstar fund-raiser and ICC member Rose Michael of Malahide to add to the RNLI's 200th Anniversary fund-drive.

Most of those present will have already given to the lifeboats in this very special year. But the buzz on Saturday night was such that RNLI envelopes placed on each table were soon showing signs that - contrary to the contactless payment propaganda - cash is very much alive and well, even if on other occasions Rose has shown she's a dab hand with the pay-machine. Nevertheless, on this occasion, the folding banknotes did the business, and €4,140 was officially handed over by ICC Commodore Alan Markey.

The RNLI lifeguard team are returning to patrol seven beaches along the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland over the upcoming Easter period.

The lifeguard service is also adjusting its operational hours this season from 10am to 6pm each day.

From Good Friday (29 March) to Sunday 7 April, lifeguards will be providing a patrol on Benone Strand, Portrush West Strand, Portrush East Strand, Whiterocks and Ballycastle, while they will have a patrol on Portstewart Strand over the weekend period from Good Friday to Easter Monday.

Following the Easter period, the RNLI lifeguard team working with the Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council and the National Trust will then prepare for the peak season in June.

A weekend service on Saturdays and Sundays on the same beaches will commence on 4 May to 30 June before daily patrols for the summer season start on Monday 1 July.

Speaking ahead of the Easter break, Michael Thompson, RNLI regional lifeguard lead said: “Our lifeguards have been working hard in recent weeks during their inductions to prepare themselves for being back on our beaches next week. This has included refreshing their lifeguard skills, doing fitness tests, vehicle courses and casualty care.

“The team is now looking forward to getting back on to the beaches and putting that training into action. Throughout the upcoming season, our lifeguards will assist numerous individuals.

“It’s crucial to recognise that their role extends beyond rescue operations; they’re also there to offer beach safety guidance. Don’t hesitate to approach them for advice, ensuring a safe and enjoyable day for all.

“Early risers will be pleased to know that they will be able to enjoy our beaches with a lifeguard patrol an hour earlier than usual in the morning with a new time start of 10am.”

Steven Callaghan, Mayor of Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council added: “As my chosen Mayor’s charity during my time in office, I am delighted that council continues its partnership with RNLI and we welcome the return of beach lifeguards over the Easter period.

“Our beaches remain a valued outdoor asset enjoyed by both locals and visitors, the RNLI helps to ensure everyone has an enjoyable and safe visit to the borough and we thank them for the lifesaving service they provide.”

Meanwhile, the RNLI is urging anyone visiting the coast this summer to make sure they keep themselves and their families safe by following their beach safety advice:

• Visit a lifeguarded beach and swim between the red and yellow flags.
• Check the weather forecast, tide times and read local hazard signage to understand local risks.
• For activities like paddle boarding or kayaking, wear a wetsuit with a buoyancy aid or lifejacket and carry a means of calling for help in a waterproof pouch and keep it on you. Tell someone what you are doing, where you are going and when you expect to return.
• If you are going open water swimming, use a wetsuit to keep you warm, wear a brightly coloured swim hat and take a tow float to store personal items including a phone for emergencies.
• If you fall into the water unexpectedly, FLOAT TO LIVE. Fight your instinct to thrash around, lean back, extend your arms and legs, and Float.
• In an emergency dial 999 in NI and ask for the coastguard.

If you are interested in working on the beach this summer, there are still lifeguard positions available. You will receive world-class lifesaving training, enjoy good rates of pay, the possibility of flexible working patterns and develop valuable skills for your future career. Find out more about becoming a lifeguard at rnli.org/BeALifeguard.

Following an emergency call from a member of the public on shore on Sunday morning (24 March), Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat Jean Spier was requested by Valentia Coast Guard to assist a family of four on a 34ft cruiser reported aground near Portumna, at the northern end of Lough Derg.

Already afloat on exercise with helm Dom Sharkey and crew Joe O’Donoghue, Tom Hayes and Ciara Lynch on board, the lifeboat headed immediately to the scene. The lake was calm with good visibility; winds were with south-westerly Force 1-2.

The lifeboat had the casualty vessel in sight at 11.24am. Using local knowledge and on-board navigation charts, the lifeboat made a safe approach to the casualty vessel.

An RNLI volunteer transferred across to ensure the passengers were safe and unharmed and wearing their lifejackets. The volunteer made a thorough inspection of the casualty vessel and, once satisfied it was not holed, reported back to the lifeboat.

Given the remote location and that there were children on board the cruiser, the lifeboat helm decided to assist the casualty vessel back out into safe water.

The lifeboat crew checked the drives and propeller on the cruiser and found them to be in good working order. With an RNLI volunteer remaining on board, the cruiser then made way under its own power to the closest safe harbour.

The lifeboat departed the scene at 11.52am and was back at station at 12.21pm

Christine O’Malley, lifeboat operations manager at Lough Derg RNLI, advises boat users to “plan your passage noting the navigation buoys along the route. Always carry a means of communication.”

As the RNLI marks 200 years of lifesaving, the volunteer lifeboat crew at Castletownbere, West Cork will take to the television screens on Tuesday, 2 April, at 8 p.m. They will feature in the ninth series of the popular maritime TV show Saving Lives at Sea on BBC Two and iPlayer.

The new series comes in the wake of an incredible milestone for the RNLI, as the charity marked two centuries of lifesaving on 4 March 2024. It began with a special first episode, guest presented by long-time RNLI supporter Dermot O’Leary, taking a closer look at RNLI crews’ involvement in the Second World War.

Nine further episodes in the series return the focus to the lifesaving work of today’s lifeboat crews and lifeguards, featuring footage captured on helmet and boat cameras, including Castletownbere RNLI. Viewers will be able to watch dramatic rescues as they unfold through the eyes of RNLI lifesavers, as well as meeting the people behind the pagers and hearing from the rescuees and their families who, thanks to the RNLI, are here to tell the tale.

This forthcoming episode, on Tuesday, 2 April, sees Castletownbere RNLI undertake a medivac when the lifeboat launched to help a fisherman who had become seriously ill aboard a trawler in rough seas two miles off Mizen Head in November 2020, alongside rescue stories from their colleagues at other stations.

Castletownbere RNLI volunteer, Donagh Murphy who was on his first call-out, who features in the forthcoming episode, says: ‘It’s great to be able to showcase the work we do on TV like this, and allow the public to see how their generous donations help us to save lives. We’re all looking forward to watching the episode.

Filming took place over the past year, with lifeboat crews and lifeguards carrying special cameras and welcoming film-makers into their day-to-day life. Rescues from the RNLI’s archives are also revisited, and we get a glimpse into the everyday lives of the thousands of men and women who give up their time to save lives.

Saving Lives at Sea is broadcast at 8pm on Tuesdays on BBC Two and iPlayer.

The RNLI, renowned for its 200 years of lifesaving, is set to feature on the popular maritimeTV show Saving Lives at Sea on BBC Two and iPlayer. The ninth series, which focuses on the lifesaving work of today's lifeboat crews and lifeguards, will showcase the incredible work of the volunteer lifeboat crew at Carrybridge, among others. The new series follows the charity's milestone of two centuries of lifesaving on 4 March 2024. 

The upcoming episode, airing on Tuesday 2 April, will feature Carrybridge RNLI's rescue mission of three French fishermen whose vessel suffered mechanical difficulties and were washed onto a rocky shore on an island. The crew were unable to approach the casualties from the side of the island they were on due to Force 5 winds mixed with squally showers. The episode will also feature rescue stories from the RNLI's colleagues at other stations.

The show will offer viewers a glimpse into the everyday lives of the thousands of men and women who give up their time to save lives. Footage captured on helmet and boat cameras will show dramatic rescues as they unfold through the eyes of RNLI lifesavers, as well as interviews with the people behind the pagers and the rescuees and their families who were saved thanks to the RNLI.

Kyle Boyd, a volunteer with Carrybridge RNLI, expressed his excitement for the forthcoming episode, "It's great to be able to showcase the work we do on TV like this, and allow the public to see how their generous donations help us to save lives. We’re all looking forward to watching along.”

Saving Lives at Sea airs on Tuesdays at 8pm on BBC Two and iPlayer.

A man overboard exercise with Antrim’s Red Bay all-weather lifeboat and the experience of a dog walker rescued by Cork Harbour’s Crosshaven lifeboat are among topics on tonight’s (Fri, March 22) RTÉ Radio 1 special issue of Seascapes.

The programme, which is the second in a three-part series marking the bicentenary of the RNLI, will also hear how sea shanties have become “cool”, thanks to Tik Tok and Covid-19.

Singer Hugh O’Neill of the Buoys of Ballisodare explains how the annual Wild Atlantic Shanty Festival in Rosses Point came about and how it raises funds for the Sligo lifeboat.

The RNLI’s Red Bay station serves the beautiful but often treacherous north-east coast, extending sometimes to Scotland, and it has both an all-weather and inshore craft.

Crew at the RNLI’s Red Bay station in Cushendall, County Antrim Photo: Niamh Stephenson

Programme presenter Lorna Siggins joined McLaughlin and lifeboat operations manager Kevin Allen, mechanic Liam O’Brien, navigator Sinéad Sharpe and crew Stephen Conway, Paddy O’Hagan, Gareth McAllister and RNLI press officer Niamh Stephenson on a training exercise in Red Bay last Sunday.

The Red Bay RNLI lifeboats at Cushendall Photo: Niamh Stephenson

The station recently lost one of its most experienced members, coxswain Gary Fyfe. His colleague and RNLI trustee, Paddy McLaughlin, talks on tonight’s episode about Fyfe’s enormous contribution to the Cushendall community.

Laura O’Mahony is also interviewed about her experience 14 years ago, when she and her red setter Sam were rescued by the Crosshaven lifeboat.

Seascapes, produced by Brian Lally with sound by John Doyle, is on RTÉ Radio 1 on Friday night at 10.30pm, and on the RTE Radio 1 App and the RTÉ Player.

Portaferry RNLI came to the aid of four people on St Patrick’s Day (Sunday 17 March) after their ocean-going rowing boat sustained a broken rudder and developed steering problems.

Belfast Coastguard requested the launch of Portaferry RNLI’s inshore lifeboat at 6.01pm to assist the crew of a rowing boat who had reported steering problems north of the South Rock Buoy off the Co Down coast in Northern Ireland.

The lifeboat, Blue Peter V, helmed by Chris Adair and with volunteer crew members Paul Mageean, Patrick Lowry and Molly Crowe onboard, launched shortly after and immediately made its way to the scene. Weather conditions at the time were overcast and choppy with a west-south-westerly Force 4 breeze.

Once on scene, the volunteer crew observed that all were safe and well before assessing the situation.

Given the fact that the crew were unable to make safe progress without their rudder, a decision was made to establish a tow.

The rowing boat was towed to the nearest safe port at Portavogie Harbour and the lifeboat departed at 7.30pm, returning to the station by 8.15pm.

Speaking following the call-out, Heather Kennedy, Portaferry RNLI lifeboat operations manager said: “We would like to commend the crew of the rowing boat for raising the alarm when they got into difficulty; that is always the right thing to do. We were glad to be of assistance and wish the crew well.

“We would remind boat owners ahead of the Easter period to check their vessel and engine to ensure they are ready for the season ahead. Always check the weather before venturing out. Always wear a lifejacket or suitable personal flotation device for your activity and always carry a means of calling for help.

“Should you get into difficulty or see someone else in trouble, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.”

Baltimore RNLI in West Cork successfully rescued Dixie, a terrier mix dog, after she fell from the cliff at the Beacon on Tuesday morning.

The Irish Coast Guard requested the launch of their inshore lifeboat shortly before 10 am, after Dixie's owner raised the alarm. It was the first call out for the new helm, David Ryan, who launched the Atlantic 85 class lifeboat. The crew members Jerry Smith, Kieran Collins, and Eoin O’Driscoll assisted him.

The weather conditions were favorable at the time, with a force 2-3 wind and a calm sea with up to a half-meter swell and good visibility. The crew arrived at the scene to find Dixie sheltering under a rock ledge after swimming ashore. Kieran and Eoin braved the sea and retrieved the dog, safely bringing her back onto the lifeboat and to her owner.

Kate Callanan, Baltimore RNLI Lifeboat Press Officer, praised Dixie's owner for raising the alarm and reminded dog owners to be careful when walking their pets near the coast. She advised them not to go into the water or mud after their pets but to move to a safe place and call for help.

New Baltimore helm, David Ryan, who launched the Atlantic 85 class lifeboat with crew members Jerry Smith, Kieran Collins, and Eoin O’Driscoll 

Dixie, though shaken and cold, is safe and sound. The RNLI commended all their crew involved in the rescue and congratulated David on his first call out as helm.