This article is from page 1 of the 2014-08-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 1 JPG
IN a week that saw the Kilkee unit of the Irish Coast Guard called out an unprecedented 11 times, water safety officials in Clare are urging swimmers to think safe when they visit the water.
With temperatures set to soar over the next seven days and beyond, large crowds are expected to descend on the Clare coastline.
Meterological sources are predicting temperatures as high as 24c by early next week.
Last summer saw four fatalities from drowning in Clare waters, three of which occurred within a month of each other and coincided with a steep rise in temperatures.
This summer lifeguards are continuing to deal with incidents on a daily basis.
Water safety officials are urging visitors to the county’s 12 lifeguarded beaches and lakes to only swim in designated areas.
“I keep saying it all the time, swim within the lifeguarded areas.
“Swim within the zones that the lifeguards set out and obey their directions,” urged head of Clare Water Safety, Clare McGrath.
“Don’t swim in unknown spaces. We don’t want people going to water holes and quarries. I would say swim in the lifeguarded areas.”
Ms McGrath believes however that swimmers are now beginning to heed warnings on water safety.
“I think they are, I think people are beginning to notice.
“But all the time, they need to watch the flags and watch the notices that the lifeguards put out.”
Ms McGrath’s warning came just hours after the Irish Coast Guard, Kilkee unit responded to its 11th callout in eight days on Sunday night.
The Kilkee unit was among the busiest in Ireland last week, responding to three calls before 12 noon on Tuesday alone.