Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

AfloatDigi 2018 CHMarine SafetySection

Search & Rescue, Water Safety - News from the Marine Safety Agencies
Castletownbere RNLI Aid In Recovery Of Body From Sea Off Beara Peninsula
#RNLI - The Castletownbere RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew have aided in the recovery of the body of a man from the sea some 2.4km off Travarra on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork. The lifeboat launched at 1.35pm yesterday afternoon…
Slow Motion Video Captures Coastguard SAR Demo at Bray Air Show
#brayairshow – The Irish Coast Guard's Search and Rescue demonstration with Dun Laoghaire RNLI Lifeboat at Sunday's Bray Air Spectacular is captured in this slow motion high definition video by Dylan Murphy. The County Wicklow event was attended by around 85,000 people…
Bundoran RNLI Fundraiser Receives Bronze Medal Award at his Wedding
Bundoran RNLI fundraiser and volunteer tractor driver Cormac McGurren got a surprise on his wedding day last Friday (19th July) when, during the best man speech, he was presented with the RNLI Bronze Badge by Bundoran RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager…
Rosslare RNLI Praises Emergency Caller Despite False Alarm
#WaterSafety - Rosslare RNLI has given credit to the quick-thinking member of the public who raised the alarm over what they believed to be a swimmer in difficulty - even though the call-out turned out to be a false alarm.…
Big Rise in Coastal and Inland Rescue Calls Over 2012
#WaterSafety - Rescue call-outs for people swimming in inland waterways have risen more than 100% over the past two months compared to the same period last year, as The Irish Times reports. Coastguard call-outs overall have risen 50 per cent…
Crosshaven RNLI Lifeboat Aid Flooding Yacht
#RNLI – Crosshaven's volunteer Crew were Paged at 6pm yesterday evening to a 26' yacht taking on water off Fort Camden. The lone skipper issued a Pan Pan alert after he noticed his bilges filling up with water and his…
Man Rescued from Mud at Rhyl Harbour
A man's been rescued after becoming stuck up to his waist in mud in Rhyl harbour.Holyhead Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) was called just before 6am this morning with reports the man was stuck opposite the pontoon in the harbour.The…
Injured Yachtsman Brought Ashore By Ballycotton Lifeboat
#lifeboat – Ballycotton RNLI lifeboat launched this afternoon, Sunday, 21 July, at 17:10 to assist an injured person on board a 42 ft yacht 6 miles south west of Ballycotton. On arrival at the casualty the injured person was transferred…
Coastguard Crew Delivers Baby Boy in Donegal
#Coastguard - The Irish Coast Guard dealt with a lifesaving of a different kind on Friday night (19 July) when one of the crew of the Sligo-based rescue helicopter helped deliver a baby boy. As TheJournal.ie reports, the delivery happened…
Four More Drownings Bring Renewed Water Safety Appeal
#WaterSafety - Four more people have drowned in separate incidents around Ireland as the heatwave continues. As RTÉ News reports, a 24-year-old man died while swimming in the sea near Ardara in Co Donegal yesterday afternoon (20 July). Later, the…
Derry Drowning Brings Heatwave Water Death Toll To Seven
#WaterSafety - Water safety chiefs have yet again underscored the dangers of swimming in unsupervised areas after a teenager drowned in Co Derry yesterday afternoon. The Irish Times reports that the 15-year-old boy was airlifted to hospital by police helicopter…
HM Coastguard Reports 23% Increase in Incidents
#coastguard – HM Coastguard has seen a 23% increase in incidents in the past month, as many take the opportunity to enjoy the summer sunshine along the UK coastline. From 15 June to 16 July this year, HM Coastguard dealt with…
Open Day Success at Wicklow Lifeboat Station
#RNLI - A steady stream of people were welcomed by Wicklow RNLI at the lifeboat station's annual open day on Sunday 14 July. Doors opened at 11am and the volunteer lifeboat crew was on hand to give tours of the…
Achill Island Lifeboat Assists Four In Two Sunday Launches
#RNLI - Achill Island RNLI responded to two separate incidents off the Mayo coast last Sunday 14 July. The volunteer lifeboat crew was first requested to launch in the early hours of Sunday morning and again in the evening of…
Public Vigilance Urged After Lifebuoy Vandalised in Limerick City
#watersafety – Limerick City Council is urging members of the public to report damaged, stolen, missing or retrieved ringbuoys after a lifebuoy box and pole were vandalised at Athlunkard Bridge. A member of a local boat club last night reported…
Seven Points After Seven Drownings – Irish Water Safety
Are you out of your depth when it comes to staying safe? Irish Water Safety is appealing to the public to take the following seven-point approach to safety when enjoying waterways in this good weather, following an analysis of the spate…

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.