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Kayakers rescued off Inishowen
Head
15.04.09
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TWO kayakers had a
lucky escape when they were rescued by Greencastle
Coast Guard in choppy seas off Inishowen Head on
Easter Monday. The pair - experienced kayakers from
the Coleraine area - got into difficulty when one of
them capsized in a cove below cliffs at Port Cille
near Shrove. He was subsequently trapped by the
large swell while his kayak rapidly filled with
water nearby. |
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His friend frantically
paddled to a beach 300-400 yards away to empty his
kayak of water in a bid to return to rescue him.
Luckily, a Moville man out walking with his family
had seen the two kayakers earlier. He then noticed
they had got in to difficulty and raised the alarm
via his mobile phone. Greencastle Coast Guard
officer-in-charge Charlie Cavanagh said his crew
immediately scrambled when they received the
emergency |
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call-out around 4.20pm.
"When we arrived, the man who had capsized was
hanging on to rocks. His canoe was close by but was
no good to him because it was full of water. He had
been in the water about 45 minutes and was suffering
from the early stages of hypothermia," he explained.
One of the Coast Guard cliff team abseiled down a
500 foot cliff to reach him while his friend was
picked up by the life-boat.
Mr Cavanagh said they had radioed ahead for an
ambulance which subsequently took the hypothermic
man to hospital for treatment. The Coast Guard
officer-in-charge said the men had been caught out
by choppy seas and a rough swell but were otherwise
well equipped for their trip. |
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He said when the two
men were safely ashore, some of the team returned to
retrieve the drifting kayak - worth around £2,000.
Meanwhile, the same day, five divers had to be
rescued at Mullaghmore, off the coast of Sligo when
their dive boat broke down while they were in the
water. The alarm was raised by a dive boat crew
member who radioed Malin Head Marine Rescue
Co-ordination Centre. Bundoran RNLI lifeboat and a
local vessel brought the divers back to shore. None
needed medical assistance. |
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