An all-female lifeboat crew from Dun Laoghaire RNLI rescued four teenagers yesterday evening (Sunday 17 July) after they were overcome by the outgoing tide and found clinging to The Wooden Bridge at Dollymount.
The volunteer crew were alerted shortly after 5pm by the Irish Coast Guard following a call from a member of the public who was asked by a parent of one of the teenagers to raise the alarm. The crew launched the inshore lifeboat at 5.08pm and arrived on scene at 5.25pm.
This was the second time in the station’s history, that Dun Laoghaire RNLI launched a lifeboat with an all-female crew. The lifeboat was helmed by Laura Jackson with crew members Moselle Hogan and Hazel Rea onboard.
Weather conditions at the time were challenging with a choppy sea, the wind blowing a strong Force 4, and low water temperatures and a surging tide on scene.
The four teenagers were enjoying the hot weather and out no more than waist-high in the sea with a paddleboard when they realised they were being swept by the outgoing tide toward the underside of the wooden bridge.
The Dollymount lifeguards made best efforts to assist with lifebelts from the bridge deck but the casualties were struggling to secure a safe hold on them.
Arriving on scene, the crew observed two casualties in the water clinging on to the bridge, and two others 10m away on the paddleboard. As the tide was surging, the crew first rescued the two casualties under the bridge bringing them safely aboard the lifeboat and ashore. The crew then safely approached the two casualties on the paddleboard under the bridge, again bringing them onboard the lifeboat and returning them safely to the shore. All four casualties were shaken and distressed by their ordeal, but did not require medical treatment when brought ashore and into the care of Dollymount Lifeguards.
Speaking following the call out, Dun Laoghaire RNLI Helm Laura Jackson said: ‘We would like to remind anyone using a paddleboard in any depth of water to always wear a suitable floatation device, and to carry a means of communication with them in a waterproof pouch.
‘It’s also important to be wary of tides even if you’re familiar with where you’re swimming as sea movements are unpredictable, particularly when close to bridges and other structures.’
