Lessons to be learned from Galway paddleboard tale

SEA DANGERS Holiday makers and locals enjoying Keel Beach on Achill Island on Sunday. A leading Mayo surf instructor has warned of the dangers of using such sea craft if people are not properly prepared. Pic: Conor McKeown

Mayo surf instructor’s warning after miracle escape for cousins

Edwin McGreal

While two Galway girls had a very lucky escape after surviving for 15 hours after they were swept out to sea on their paddleboards, it is ‘vital that we learn lessons from it’.
That’s according to well-known Mayo surf instructor Emmet Heneghan, the only person to have circumnavigated Ireland on a stand-up paddleboard.
The Breaffy native, who has run Surf Mayo at Carrowniskey, outside Louisburgh, for 20 years, says he is alarmed at the amount of people who have been using various boards and inflatables off the Mayo coast this summer.
“All these boards are so freely available now and I see so many of them in use in Louisburgh and Achill. I have seen a lot more people with them this summer, and you would wonder how many of those people using them have the experience to use them. There’s great offers [on boards] in the multinationals; they can be got for very cheap prices,” Heneghan told The Mayo News.
“People want to have fun, but the bottom line is know your limits and know the dangers. Paddleboarding requires skills that you have to learn and improve. Anyone starting off needs to start off on a small lake with an onshore wind and still have their survival bag with them.
“The widespread use of such equipment is an accident waiting to happen. Paddleboards are very widely available now, and the inflatable ones are deadly dangerous. They are like a kite, they will blow out to sea rapidly,” he said.

Be prepared
He said he ‘cannot emphasise enough the importance of being prepared’. Checking the weather is vital, he said, as is being well-equipped.
“Make sure the wind is blowing into your face or that there is no wind. Check if the direction or strength of the wind is going to change. Get the info from a lifeguard or by calling the coastguard, and if you cannot get that information, don’t go out. You want to make sure you are going into the wind on the way out so that wind will bring you back in. So you want an onshore wind, not an offshore wind. With an offshore wind, when you go out and start trying to come back, you then realise how difficult it might be and it can be a struggle.
“Make sure you have the correct equipment with you. A wetsuit is a minimum. Have a small bag with you with water, food, a flare or similar SOS device and bring your phone. Have a light training jacket and rain-gear trousers. You should always wear equipment to suit the water temperature, not the air temperature. Try to get a compass which you can strap onto your board. Most of these things cost nothing or are very cheap,” he said.
He added to make sure someone knows you’re going out, and if there’s nobody on shore with you, ring the Coastguard and give them a time you will be back – if they do not hear from you then, that they will know something is wrong.
If you’re hiring equipment from a vendor at the beach, Heneghan says it is important to make sure they have a boat with an engine, so they can rescue you if the wind picks up.
“With a stand-up paddle board, the wind takes you out so easily, particularly the inflatable and beginner ones. It costs very little to protect yourself, and the difference between going out prepared and unprepared is huge. If you are prepared, you can enjoy yourself because you will feel safe,” he said.

Learn the lessons
Galway cousins Sara Feeney (23) and Ellen Glynn (17) were rescued just off the Aran Islands on Thursday afternoon after they were swept away from the coast at Furbo on their stand-up paddleboards on Wednesday night.
“As uplifting as people found the story to be, and it was so great to see the girls being rescued, it is vital we learn lessons from it. There really was a huge chance that there could have been an entirely more tragic outcome, so we have to learn lessons.
“What happened in Galway showed what can happen if you’re not prepared and if you don’t have enough experience. It showed how quickly things can go wrong at sea,” he said.