A six year old boy who found himself swept out to sea at Renvyle, Connemara on Thursday afternoon was rescued from the water by a fishing boat.
At approximately 4:30pm on Thursday the young boy, who was at the beach at Renvyle with his family, was carried out to sea on his bodyboard.
The Coast Guard Rescue 118 helicopter, a crew from Cleggan Coast Guard Station, and both Clifden RNLI lifeboats were deployed to the emergency,
An alert was also sent out to boats in the area to respond to the situation.
This proved a fortunate move as a fishing boat rescued the boy from the water and brought him back to his family at the shore.
The boy was assessed at the scene by a paramedic from Rescue 118 and Cleggan Coast Guard crew, and did not require medical attention.
Clifden RNLI Community Safety Officer Miryam Hayes said “We are all very relieved at the outcome of this launch and well done to the fisherman who came to the aid of this family”.
However, with the June Bank Holiday approaching, and more fine weather expected, she also urged people to exercise safety on the water.
“With the beautiful weather at the moment we would encourage everyone to be safe in their seaside activities.
Be sure to check the tides and wind forecast regularly as conditions can change so quickly.
Always try to do your activity with another person, have a means of calling for help with you and wear a life jacket appropriate to your activity.
