Achill rescued couple ‘lucky to to be alive’

Rescued couple ‘lucky to be alive’


Anton McNulty

TWO visitors to Achill who were rescued when their inflatable dingy washed up along the Minaun Cliffs were ‘lucky to be alive’ and have a local man to thank for raising the alarm.
The man and woman, left Purteen Harbour on Achill Island on Sunday afternoon to row around Keel Bay but their six foot dingy was blown across the bay towards the 800 foot Minaun Cliffs. They were washed up on a cove half way between Dookinella Strand and Dooega Head and had climbed 60 feet up the cliff face when they were eventually spotted and rescued.
A spokesperson for the Achill RNLI Lifeboat told The Mayo News that they were lucky to survive. “They were extremely fortunate,” explained Tom Honeyman, Operations Manager of the Achill RNLI. “A local man saw them leave and was concerned at the time and when they failed to return he raised the alarm. If he had not seen them go out nobody would have noticed them missing and they would still be there yet, In fact, they would not have survived and would be dead.”
The two persons who were in their 30s had no lifejackets and were wearing summer clothes and were not equipped to survive the conditions.
The alarm was raised at 5.17pm and the search and rescue mission involved the Achill RNLI Lifeboat, the Achill Coast Guard Unit and the Sligo based Coast Guard helicopter. They were noticed along the cliff by a local boat who joined the rescue and the RNLI lifeboat was involved.
The location of the cove meant the RNLI Lifeboat was not able to get close and the Coast Guard Rescue boat was deployed to bring them safely back to the lifeboat. They were transferred to Purteen Harbour where they were medically assessed but did not require hospital treatment.
Mr Honeyman explained that this incident showed how dangerous and unpredictable the sea can be and urged people going out on the water to take all the precautions.
“This was a small inflatable dingy and was not a suitable craft for the sea. They were not wearing lifejackets and were not equipped for the conditions. While it might be a good day, the conditions can change so quickly and put you in danger.”