Man recovering in hospital after being trapped in Mayo sea cave for 22 hours

The man spent almost 22 hours on a ledge in a cave at Downpatrick Head, after being swept into the area during high tide last evening. Picture: Department of Transport

A heroic diver who helped rescue 13 boys from a flooded cave in Thailand four years ago was one of the team of specialist cave rescuers who saved a man trapped in a sea cave at Downpatrick, north Mayo, over the weekend.

Jim Warny, a Belgian national who is based in Ennis, Co Clare, was among dozens of voluntary cave rescuers from the Irish Cave Rescue Organisation, who rescued the Polish national, 40, from the back of a cave at Downpatrick Head.

The man was initially swept into the cave by a huge swell but managed to climb onto a ledge, where he remained for 22 hours until his rescue on Sunday afternoon.

He is believed to be based in the Castlebar area and is a cave rescuer himself, according to John Sweeney, a voluntary warden with the Irish Cave Rescuers Organisation. 

"He's a caver himself and is part of a rescue team. He understood what was happening and the length of time it took to reach him," Mr Sweeney told the Irish Examiner. 

Mr Sweeney was one of the surface controllers co-ordinating the rescue from the top of the cliff from 1am-4pm on Sunday.

It's like anyone who practices a sport, you realise you have to keep warm and positive.

"When you're rescuing somebody, you're always worried about their thirst, hunger, and hypothermia. Nobody could get to him until 3pm on Sunday so he probably would have had mild hypothermia after spending all night there," he added.

Jim Warny was one of the rescue divers involved in the dramatic rescue of 13 members of a football team and their coach in Thailand in 2018. Picture: Thai NavySEAL via AP

Jim Warny, one of the best cave divers in the world, was one of the specialists at the scene in Downpatrick.

He was also one of the rescue divers who swam 13 members of a football team and their coach underwater through a flooded cave in northern Thailand in July 2018.

Their dramatic rescue after 17 days underground captivated the world and was made into a Ron Howard-directed film, Thirteen Lives, starring Colin Farrell and Lord of the Rings actor Viggo Mortensen.

In Downpatrick, rescuers brought the man to the top of the cliff at 4pm and he was strong enough to walk to Sligo-based Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 118, which airlifted him to Sligo University Hospital where he is believed to be recovering.

The rescue operation involved members of the Garda Sub-Aqua Team, the Irish Coastguard units from Killala, Ballyglass, Killybegs and Achill, Civil Defence teams and Mayo Fire Service.

Local women Sandra Moran and her mother led the community response by providing vital food and refreshments to keep the emergency teams fuelled through Saturday night and all day Sunday.

"We got a few loaves of bread and packets of ham and provided them with tea and coffee and sandwiches," she said. "It was just me and my mum the whole night. Come morning, when the gardaí told us that it might be going on longer, I thought they'd need something more substantial.

"I put a message out looking for people to donate sausages and rashers and within a few hours we were choc-a-block with food," she said, praising local business, groups and people from the neighbouring villages of Belderrig, Killala and Lacken who also offered to help.

Waking up today and knowing that the man survived, it was a great outcome.

"There was great relief, like a big weight lifted. It was great to know that he was out ok," she added.

Another local resident, who did not wish to be named, warned of a growing trend of tourists looking to get "the perfect Instragram picture" of the sea stack Dun Bríste and the surrounding dramatic sea cliffs at Downpatrick.

"The local residents do not want a repeat of this. Please don't put yourself at risk by heading to the cliffs without being sure it's safe," they told the Irish Examiner.