Last night the Irish Coast Guard boat based at Howth was alerted by a paddle boarder to persons trapped on a sand bank with a rising tide between Burrow Beach and Portmarnock beach in Dublin.
A spokesperson for the Irish Coast Guard said in a statement: “The boat had been on routine exercise and diverted to attend the incident.
“Four tourists had become trapped whilst out swimming to a sand bar; with a fast incoming spring tide the sand bar quickly began to disappear. The first tourists had been evacuated by the paddle boarder and the next three were taken aboard the Coast Guard Boat and brought back to Burrow Beach.
“None of the people involved required any further medical attention; ten minutes after been rescued the sand bar wasn’t visible.
“We are grateful to the paddle boarder for his actions is helping resolve the incident quickly.
“A key message this weekend is if you do see someone who even if you are only slightly concerned about their safety on the coast call 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.
“If you can and it’s safe to do stay there until the rescue team arrives. As last night’s incident shows every minute counts when someone gets into trouble on the water.”