Kayaker rescued after falling into water at popular Kerry beach
A KAYAKER has been rescued after falling from his boat off the coast of County Kerry.
The man fell overboard earlier this Saturday morning and was unable to re-enter his kayak, near the Virgin’s Rock in Ballybunion - a destination popular with Limerick sunseekers.
The man had placed himself between his kayak and his partner's kayak and was holding onto both when rescue personnel arrived.
Ballybunion Sea and Cliff Rescue (BSCR) responded to reports of a kayaker in distress from Valentia Coast Guard around 10:30am.
Their IB1 D-Class launched with three crew members and reached the man within minutes.
The man was taken on board a rescue boat and assessed by the crew before being brought to Ladies Beach and handed over to paramedics from the National Ambulance Service in Listowel on their arrival.
The rescue boat then returned to the remaining kayaker and escorted her to the beach while towing the second kayak.
Speaking after the incident, Omar Fitzell, Public Relations Officer for BSCR said; “Praise must be given to both kayakers who were wearing buoyancy aids, had radios and a mobile phone to raise the alarm. When the boat arrived, the kayaker was visibly under pressure to hold on with their buoyancy aid coming up over his head. We always urge people to call for help immediately. It’s very easy to stand us down if a situation becomes better so these kayakers acted correctly by dialling 999.”
Also in attendance was the Ballybunion Unit of the Irish Coast Guard who took the kayaks back to the owner's vehicle.