Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Galway’s iconic diving tower at Blackrock, Salthill, will be the subject of “rolling closures” over the next fortnight to allow for maintenance work Galway City Council began work on the tower earlier this week, with power washing, followed by painting.…

A sea swimmer was taken to hospital after being rescued by the emergency services on Dublin Bay on Thursday afternoon. The swimmer got into difficulty in big seas off the Forty Foot bathing place. The RNLI Dun Laoghaire Lifeboat Station inshore…

Sea swimming is the focus of two events in Galway this weekend as part of the Cúirt International Festival of Literature. Both events take place on Saturday, April 22nd, starting with readings and a sea swim at Blackrock Tower, Salthill,…

Galway RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew were requested to launch by the Irish Coast Guard at 9.35am on St Patrick’s Day (Friday 17 March) following a report of a swimmer in difficulty off Blackrock Diving Tower in Salthill. The inshore lifeboat…

Water quality activists have alleged that people are “getting ill” after swimming at beaches in Northern Ireland, as BelfastLive reports. Campaign group Surfers Against Sewage suggests that the public is being let down by NI’s water testing system, which currently…

Flying Fifteen sailor John MacAree was part of a major fundraising effort in aid of Wicklow RNLI by the members of Swim Smooth Ireland, who presented a cheque for more than €10,000 at the weekend. The swimming club’s big charity…

A County Down swimmer has broken a world record and claimed two gold medals at the ice swimming world championships, reports The Belfast Telegraph. Grace McLaughlin from Bangor defied freezing temperatures to triumph at the International Ice Swimming Association’s (IISA)…

Howth’s Irish Coast Guard unit reminds sea swimmers to be wary of cold water temperatures after they responded to a hypothermic swimmer needing medical assistance on Wednesday morning (4 January). The casualty was taken safely from the water at Balscadden…

Helen’s Bay is a small village on the Belfast to Bangor railway line on the south shore of Belfast Lough and is named after Helen Blackwood, Baroness Dufferin and Clandeboye, who lived in the early nineteenth century. It’s not recorded…

Water Safety Ireland is urging those planning festive charity dips to be mindful of the effect of a new moon on Dec 23rd which will lead to higher tides throughout the weekend. Higher tides can hide unfamiliar depths and hazards…

Fethard RNLI’s fundraising branch has begun to distribute RNLI Christmas cards to local shops and businesses, while local swimming group Hooked on Swimming have begun their 12 swims of Christmas fundraiser which will see proceeds raised to power the lifesaving…

An Omagh man who was rescued by the Irish Coast Guard after he was caught in a rip current off a Donegal beach in July has completed the Dublin Marathon in his bare feet to raise awareness of water safety…

A former Irish rugby international has become only the second Irish woman to complete the Triple Crown of Open Water Swimming. Rosie Foley recently crossed 32.3km between Catalina Island and the mainland of Southern California to match the rugby union…

The annual Liffey Swim was held in Dublin city centre on Saturday (24 September) with nearly 500 people taking part, as RTÉ News reports. Dublin Swimming Club’s Ken Dent took the men’s honours, leading from the outset and setting a…

Preliminary research into the impact of harmful organisms in bathing water suggests that regular sea swimmers leading a healthy life may have some protection. University of Galway expert Prof Dearbháile Morris cautions that the indications are preliminary, and require more…

The seventh annual Boyne Swim took place on Saturday, 10th September, with the biggest entry ever of 270 swimmers taking part on the day. It was a beautiful sunny day with excellent weather conditions, and the River Boyne was in…