‘Use app to stay safe on water’

Volunteers at one of the country’s biggest inshore rescue networks have warned people to take extra care if taking to the water — and to use a new smartphone app that they say has already saved a number of lives.

Derrynane Inshore Rescue has been involved in two operations in the past two weeks in which swimmers found themselves in dangerous locations and without adequate swimgear.

In the first incident, a father and two children, aged 7 and 8, were rescued on the Derrynane Long Beach after swimming into an area with known rip currents.

In the second incident, which occurred last Sunday, a member of the public happened to spot a young teenager on a bodyboard floating out to sea due to the strong offshore wind in Templenoe, near Kenmare. The 15-year-old had gone swimming with his bodyboard off a rock where the wind was off shore and only had a short wetsuit on. After he was rescued, he needed to be treated for shock and hypothermia.

Michael Martin of Derrynane Inshore Rescue said members of the public were still taking basic risks, such as not wearing long wetsuits in cold waters; or informing others where they were going and what time they expected to return; or in some cases, going into the water alone.

Mr Martin said both the recent incidents could have ended in tragedy. “People should be planning ahead.”

The inshore rescue crew has recommended that anyone going out into the water should use the smartphone app SafeTrx before doing so, with Mr Martin claiming it had “definitely” saved lives and is becoming increasingly popular.

The app allows the user to enter details regarding their activity and enter two contact phone numbers for friends, with those contacts receiving a call or message automatically if the app user has not returned by a set time. The Irish Coast Guard also has a live stream of the app, allowing them to track the movements of those using it.

Derrynane Inshore Rescue is the emergency maritime rescue service for the entire Kenmare Bay area, meaning it covers one of the longest stretches of coastline in Ireland.

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