Oisín McGrath was on the promenade at Lahinch beach in Co Clare during the Easter holidays with his two children, Aiden (7) and Chloe (5), when he noticed some other children playing in the water “It was heading for high tide and some of the waves were three-foot high hitting the slipway,” says McGrath, a former lifeguard who now works as a helicopter pilot for the Coast Guard search and rescue service in Shannon.
“There was a bunch of children with their trousers rolled up to their knees chasing the waves back up the slipway. I sat on the rocks with my children and I slowly kicked off my shoes and took my phone and wallet out of my pocket in case I was needed,” he says.
Suddenly, McGrath saw a huge wave coming in and one boy – Michael Shinnick (11) – at the front of the group getting into danger. “The wave took the legs from under him and he was feet up, head down, sliding down the slipway.”
McGrath jumped over the rocks and ran into the water to grab Michael. “We got hit by a wave or two but I dragged him by the hand as the waves were pulling us back out again. Another guy saw what was happening and gave me a pull out,” says McGrath.
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Madeleine Shinnick was in Lahinch that day with her grandsons, Michael and Jensen (12). She got a terrible fright as she witnessed Michael being pulled under by the wave. “His brother tried to run after him but someone grabbed him to stop him. He would have gone in too, but then I saw Oisín going straight into the water to pull Michael out. I was so shaken afterwards,” she says.
With Michael safely ashore and wrapped in a towel, McGrath, who was soaked, put on a swimming robe and drove his own children – who had remained on the rocks while he rescued Michael – home. The whole incident – which could have ended in tragedy – was over in a matter of minutes.
Following the rescue, McGrath was nominated for a Just in Time Water Safety Ireland (WSI) rescue award. These annual awards, started in 2021, highlight the speed and bravery of those who spot someone in danger and react quickly to save them.
Many people don’t know what to do if they see someone struggling in the water, says Roger Sweeney, WSI deputy chief executive.
Sweeney observes that six people aged 18 and under died in water in May and June.
WSI advises that simple steps may save a life if a person is in distress in water: “Shout, reach and throw.” People can “shout” to encourage and guide the person to shore; “reach” out with a long object such as a branch or a piece of clothing, but do not enter the water; and “throw” a ringbuoy or any floating object and call 112/999 for the Coast Guard.
While water safety skills are a mandatory part of the primary school curriculum, and often included in transition-year programmes in secondary schools, there is still a lack of awareness of the risks involved in being near waterways or in the open water.
Sweeney says: “People speak about being afraid of the water and this has created a reticence around talking about water [safety]. We don’t want to prevent people from enjoying the water but it’s about having the right attitudes, behaviours and skills around water safety.”
When it comes to spending time on beaches over the summer months, it’s important to get into the habit of assessing conditions upon arrival.
“When you get to a beach with children, the adult in charge needs to draw an imaginary line in the sand and say, let’s not go any further than this until we look at the beach,” advises Sweeney.
People should stay between the lifeguard’s flags; only get into the water if the lifeguard has indicated that it is safe to do so; look at the power of the waves and check if the tide is coming in or going out.
If swimming in spots without lifeguards, extra vigilance is required. “People have to ask themselves is there a safe place to get in, could there be a current, would it take you along to a place where you can’t get out? Always swim within your depth and stay within your depth and never swim alone,” says Sweeney.
Lifeguards reunite hundreds of children with their parents and guardians every year on beaches across Ireland. Leaving children for even a moment to get something from a car or to get ice-creams could result in tragedy.
Water safety experts also strongly advise families not to bring inflatable items to the beach, with some local authorities such as Co Kerry banning them from beaches altogether.
Vandalism or removal of ringbuoysfrom river banks, lakesides or coastal areas means that local authority staff have to keep a constant check on sites. Some local authorities have introduced smart ringbuoys with sensors, alerting local water safety officers if one has been removed. Members of the public can report their absence on ringbuoys.ie.
Rip currents – invisible undertows in the water that can pull swimmers away from the shoreline – are particularly dangerous, precisely because they are hard to spot. The absence of a wave action can indicate the presence of a rip current.
“If you get caught in one, it’s very difficult not to panic. And rip currents might only be the width of a road. Yet, an Olympic swimmer will tell you that you can’t swim against a rip current. The key to getting out of a rip current is to swim parallel to the shore but at an angle, never straight back into shore,” says Sweeney.
Water safety experts also advise anyone who gets into difficulty in the open water to flip over on their back with their head back – ears in the water and chin up. In this position, a person can call and put their arm up to gesture for help while keeping afloat.
Moving from swimming in a heated indoor swimming pool throughout the winter months to swimming in open water – sea, river or lake – in the summer is something that requires acclimatisation. Non-regular sea swimmers need to realise that cold-water shock, which is the body’s first reaction to immersion in cold water, is now considered to be more dangerous than hypothermia.
According to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, cold-water shock can cause soaring heart rates, gasping for breath, hyperventilation and aspiration of water. The key is to follow the ritual of most seasoned outdoor swimmers by getting in slowly, wetting arms and face and lowering gently into the water – and always getting out before extreme tiredness or coldness kicks in.
Swimmers should neither overestimate their ability nor underestimate risks.
