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Displaying items by tag: White Strand

Tragedy was averted this August Bank Holiday weekend when a grandfather and his grandson were rescued from the sea after their kayak capsized off White Strand in Co Kerry.

As the Kerryman reports, emergency services including the Irish Coast Guard’s Shannon-based helicopter Rescue 115 were dispatched on Sunday afternoon (6 August) when the pair failed to return home as planned.

Both were wearing lifejackets which kept them afloat in the water for nearly an hour before help arrived, and they were subsequently treated for symptoms of hypothermia by the local Iveragh coastguard unit.

The Kerryman has more on the story HERE.

Published in Kayaking
Tagged under

Clare County Council has confirmed that boats can be launched from the slipway at White Strand in Miltown Malbay following confusion over alleged changes to area bye-laws.

Local boaters had contacted Afloat.ie to express concern over claims that the slipway the community have used for generations was suddenly closed to power craft without consultation.

“There’s uproar in the local community to say the least,” said one local. “It’s been a public right of access for boats for generations and the only one the village has.”

Beach bye-laws available from the Clare County Council website make no reference to any recent change prohibiting launches of power craft from White Strand.

When contacted for a response, Clare County Council made clear that the local community has no current cause for concern and may launch and retrieve from the slipway as usual.

“Clare County Council is currently reviewing the process of the new bye law amendments,” it said. “While this administrative/legal review takes place, the 2016 beach bye laws will be reverted to, allowing the launch of boats at the slipway at White Strand.”

Published in Coastal Notes

#MARINE WILDLIFE - Three whales and a dolphin were found beached over the past few days along Ireland's west coast, according to the Belfast Telegraph.

Dr Simon Berrow of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group confirmed that reports had been received of a bottlenose whale on White Strand in Co Clare, a pilot whale on Fintra Beach in Co Donegal and a dolphin in Silverstrand, Co Galway - all found dead.

The latest find was a male sperm whale stranded on Omey Island in Co Galway, shed of its skin and with a broken lower jaw.

"Chances are it died offshore and got washed in with the wind," said Berrow.

The IWDG said such strandings were relatively common, although as reported on Afloat.ie earlier this year there has been growing concern over the rising number of dolphin deaths along the south coast in particular.

Published in Marine Wildlife

Forty Foot Swimming Spot on Dublin Bay

The 'Forty Foot' is a rocky outcrop located at the southern tip of Dublin Bay at Sandycove, County Dublin from which people have been swimming in the Irish Sea all year round for 300 years or more. It is popular because it is one of few spots between Dublin city and Greystones in County Wicklow that allows for swimming at all stages of the tide, subject to the sea state.

Forty Foot History

Traditionally, the bathing spot was exclusively a men's bathing spot and the gentlemen's swimming club was established to help conserve the area.

Owing to its relative isolation and gender-specific nature it became a popular spot for nudists, but in the 1970s, during the women's liberation movement, a group of female equal-rights activists plunged into the waters and now it is also open to everyone and it is in the control of Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council.

Many people believe that swimming in extremely cold water is healthy and good for the immune system.

Is it safe to swim at the Forty Foot?

The Forty-Foot is a great place to swim because there is always enough water to get a dip but like all sea swimming, there are always hazards you need to be aware of.   For example, a lot of people like to dive into to the pool at the Forty-foot but there are submerged rocks that can be hazardous especially at low water.  The Council have erected signs to warn people of the underwater dangers. Other hazards include slippy granite cut stone steps that can often be covered with seaweed and of course marine wildlife including jellyfish that make their presence felt in the summer months as do an inquisitive nearby Sandycove seal colony.

The Forty-foot Christmas Day swim

A Dublin institution that brings people from across Dublin and beyond for a dip in the chilly winter sea. Bathers arrive in the dark from 6 am and by noon the entire forty foot is a sea of red Santa hats!