Hero Mayo teenager (16) rescues sibling surfers off Carrownisky Beach

A teenage surfer from Westport has been praised by the Coast Guard and local community after rescuing two siblings in distress at Carrownisky Beach, with strong offshore winds pushing them far from shore.

Liam Cadden, an experienced 16-year-old surfer, was enjoying a session in the water when he noticed something unusual about 200 meters from the shoreline.

"I was surfing for a while, and I noticed they were very far out, and they weren't on their board, or they're just like wading in the water," Liam told The Mayo News. "And I thought it was strange, and I was looking at them, and then one of them called me over."

When he reached the pair—siblings in their early twenties—the brother explained they were in trouble and unable to get back to shore. The sister was particularly vulnerable, having recently torn ligaments in her shoulder, which prevented her from paddling.

"I told the brother just to follow me and I'd push the sister in," Liam said. "But the sister wasn't able to paddle because she tore ligaments in her shoulder recently."

What began as a manageable rescue quickly escalated when the brother couldn't keep pace. "He wasn't actually able to follow me, so he ended up drifting out more," Liam explained. "And that's when I signaled to the beach for help."

As bystanders on shore called the Coast Guard, Liam continued working to bring the sister to safety, instructing her to lie on his board while he pushed from behind, pausing to paddle and catch up before pushing again.

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"I was quite calm. But then when I realized we weren't making much headway, and she started to get very upset about being far out and the brother drifting further off, then I was a bit shocked, like, oh, this is serious," he recalled.

Throughout the ordeal, Liam worked to keep the young woman calm. "I kept saying to her, oh, just try stay calm, and try keep your centre of gravity and your balance, because then it was a lot easier for me to push her."

His efforts paid off. Liam managed to get the sister to waist-high water, where she was able to walk the rest of the way to shore. The brother, who Liam noted "had a good wetsuit on," was later rescued by the Achill Island RNLI’s volunteer lifeboat crew.

Liam emphasized that strong offshore winds had created the dangerous conditions that trapped the surfing siblings.

Following the rescue, members of the RNLI approached Liam, shaking his hand and commending his actions. They encouraged him to sign up when he turns 18.

Despite the praise, Liam remains modest about his actions. "Any surfer that was used to the water would have done it as well," he said.

He was quick to credit his surf instructors, Charles O'Malley and Elvis Beetham from Surf Mayo, saying they taught him everything he knows about surfing. "Charles was previously a neighbour and used to give me lifts to surf and brought me to all the beaches," he added.

The incident serves as a reminder of the unpredictable nature of ocean conditions and the importance of water safety awareness, even for experienced swimmers.