This article is from page 14 of the 2013-04-16 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
A LOCAL surfer who got into difficulty close to the site of the massive Cliffs of Moher wave was airlifted to safety last week.
A group of four surfers were in the water close to the world famous Aill Na Searrach or Aileen’s Wave at the foot of the Cliffs of Moher when the incident took place.
A number of members of the Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard were already in the area when the alarm was raised and were quickly redeployed to the scene.
The man is understood to have been overcome by high waves in excess of 16 feet and separated from the rest of his group. It was first thought that the surfer had been washed ashore at a foot of the Aill Na Searrach – a treacherous location which would have required rescuers to abseil more then 600 feet to rescue him.
Along with a number of shore search terams, the Doolin Unit of the Irish Coast Guard launched its rescue boar and the Shannon based Irish Coast Guard helicopter was also sent to assist.
The surfer was spotted by the rescue helicopter, who lowered a man into the sea to rescue the injured surfer. The casualty was flown to University College Hospital in Galway where he was treated for suspected back and neck injuries, which are not believed to be life threatening. The surfer is understood to be from the local area.