Drama as kayakers rescued off the coast in Sutton

FOUR kayakers were dramatically rescued off the coast of Sutton yesterday evening

The alert was raised after the Irish Coast Guard 999 operations centre received calls from the public, who reported kayakers in possible difficulty near Red Rock on the Howth peninsula.

The Irish Coast Guard station in Howth and lifeguards from Dollymount Beach were immediately tasked. The lifeguards launched their 4.6 meter rescue rib while Coast Guard personnel went to the shoreline to investigate.

When rescue teams arrived they were faced with challenging weather conditions, with offshore winds and the tide dropping, resulting in the kayakers being pushed further out into Dublin Bay.

The Dollymount rescue boat located four kayakers on the rocks. One of the kayakers was taken onboard the rescue boat while the other three climbed back up to the cliff path.

A further eight kayakers were then towed back to shore by the lifeguards.

Upon arrival, the kayakers met with the Coast Guard team. It is believed that most of the kayakers were novices and were on part of a commercially organised trip using sit on boats. While all were wearing life jackets and wet suits, the Coast Guard found that the group had very limited safety equipment with them.

A spokesman for the Coast Guard said: “The group had no marine VHF radio or distress flares; they hadn’t observed the small craft warning in place and hadn’t logged their journey with the Coast Guard operations centre.

“Thankfully, due to quick response of the rescue teams, no medical assistance was required for the kayakers.”

He added: “We would ask the public to ensure that any trips they take have the above precautions in place and that they have obtained a full safety briefing before partaking in water related activities.”

For more information visit www.safetyonthewater.ie