Galway RNLI’s volunteer crew were requested to launch by the Irish Coast Guard on Saturday afternoon following a report of two people stranded by the tide on Hare Island, which is located on inner Galway Bay.
The crew’s pagers were activated at 4:05 p.m., and the boat was launched just ten minutes later. Brian Niland helmed the lifeboat, which had Olivia Byrne, Dave McGrath, and Sean McLoughlin on board.
Paul Carey was the Launch Authority and coordinated the rescue from the lifeboat station. He said: ‘Conditions were favourable this afternoon with the tide having turned and starting to flood. The lifeboat was on the scene at 4.20 pm and the two people were located and brought on board. The casualties were safe and well and were brought back to the lifeboat station at Galway Docks.
‘Heading to the coast or out on the water is a great way to have fun and stay active. But it is a lot easier to get into trouble than you might think. Conditions can change quickly and you can easily get caught out. If you are walking along the coast, our advice is to always check the tides, and if you get cut off by an incoming tide, stay above the high water line and call 112 or 999 and ask for the Coast Guard. It is better to call for help and not try to swim or walk back to shore.’
