At 6pm last night the Irish Coast Guard emergency operations centre received a 999 call from a member of the public. They were reporting a Kite Surfer in difficulty off Dollymount Beach, the caller had lost any sighting of him and was concerned for his safety with darkness due within the hour.
Coast Guard Rescue helicopter Rescue 116 along with Howth Coast Guard, Howth Lifeboat and Gardai were tasked immediately.
Rescue teams were quickly on the scene searching an area from Sutton to the Wooden Bridge in Dollymount. A search team from Rescue 116 and Howth Coast Guard located the casualty who had made it safely ashore. The casualty's gear had failed while kite surfing forcing the surfer who was a strong swimmer to do a long swim back to shore. No medical assistance was required and all teams stood down.
Some advice Kite Surfers have shared
1. Know your limits
2. Know your gear
3. Be a strong swimmer
4. Stay calm
5. Watch each other and if in doubt call for help. That reinforces and implies "Never kite alone".
Thankfully a good result and the incident shows the importance of contacting the Coast Guard immediately on 112/999 if you are concerned for someone on the water/ cliff/ beach. Your call could save a life.
Incident 63/14