Number of swimmers rescued falls by 240

A rare benefit of the poor summer weather has been a significant reduction in the number of swimmers having to be rescued by lifeguards over recent weeks.

According to Irish Water Safety, lifeguards rescued 173 swimmers from our beaches, rivers, and lakes last month. The group said that total was 240 fewer than last July.

It breaks down the rescues into those taken from the water through a swim recovery and those rescued using a surf rescue boat or a surf ski.