Swimmer rescued by passing ferry
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A SWIMMER who got into difficulties in Dingle harbour last week was rescued by a passing passenger ferry.
The incident happened on Friday evening, August 20, as the ferry, Stern an Mor, was heading for the mouth of the harbour, skippered by Jimmy Flannery Senior.
"I noticed this woman in the water in the middle of the channel, near the green bouy, and I thought she was out a bit far from the shore but didn't take a whole lot more notice of her as we passed because she was on my port side. Then, a little further on I noticed a boogie board in the water and at the same time someone began shouting from the shore," he told The Kerryman.
"I knew something was wrong so I turned the boat and headed back to her. The shouting was coming from a young man on the rocks who seemed to be about to get into the water to swim to the woman who turned out to be his mother. We came up alongside her and we could see she was in difficulties and hadn't the strength to make it back to the shore. Bob Tait, the crewman with me, threw her a lifering on a rope which landed a few feet from her but she hadn't the energy to swim to it. So he threw it a second time and she was able to grab it. We pulled her to the side of the boat and got her to put the lifering over her head and under her arms before hauling her aboard," he explained.
"She was wearing a wetsuit and we put some towels around her and, after retrieving her boogie board, I put the ferry onto the beach at Slaudeen and her condition had improved by then. It turned out she was an English visitor who was spending a couple of days in the area. She gave me her name but I can't remember it now," he said.
After returning to the pier he drove to the area and met the woman who was with some other family members.
"She thanked us again for rescuing her and told her family that they had almost lost their mother, " Mr Flannery said.
The Kerryman contacted Irish Water Safety about the incident and they would like the rescued woman to contact rogersweeney@iws.ie
Alternatively, anyone in the Dingle area who may have some information about the rescued woman, perhaps an accommodation provider, is asked to contact the above email address or Irish Water Safety at 091-564400.
