Lifejackets would have saved anglers’ lives

Two anglers who drowned after falling overboard from a rib near Helvick Head in Waterford in May 2010 would “probably” have been saved if they were wearing lifejackets.

John O’Brien and Pat Esmonde left Helvick Pier in Waterford on May 23, 2010, in a small rib to go angling close to Helvick Head.

The alarm was raised when their boat was seen drifting and empty with one man close by in the water. Both men were lost overboard and their bodies recovered two days later.

A Marine Casualty Investigation Board (MCIB) report into their deaths raised concerns about safety equipment on board and that neither man wore a lifejacket.

“The safety equipment carried on the RIB was inadequate. All personnel on vessels of seven metres and less in length are required to wear a personal floatation device (PFD) when aboard such a vessel.”

“Neither man wore a PFD during their boat trip. If the reason they came to be in the water was accidental their lives would probably have been saved by wearing same.”

The report stated the weather at the time of the accident was calm and clear, when just before 5.20pm the occupant of the Emily Jane vessel spotted the rib empty about 200 metres away. One man was visible in the water moving as if swimming.

At about the same time, two people aboard the Mary O describe how they were stopped close to the rib and saw two swimming close by. The report pointed out that Pat Esmonde was a non-swimmer.

The occupant of the Emily Jane and two whale watchers on Helvick Head said they heard a cry for help from the water. Both groups made calls to alert the lifeboat and the emergency services.