A man has been hospitalised after suffering a shark bite while on board a pleasure craft off the Waterford coast on Tuesday.
Ballycotton RNLI was requested to launch by Dublin Coast Guard at 4.16pm to assist a five-metre pleasure craft with five people on board, approximately four miles off Ram Head, Ardmore.
The call formed part of a co-ordinated response involving Ballycotton RNLI, Youghal RNLI and Irish Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue 117.
Ballycotton RNLI’s all-weather Trent-class lifeboat, the Austin Lidbury, was launched at 4.30pm.
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It said there were “calm sea conditions and good visibility”, and the lifeboat arrived on scene at approximately 5.10pm.
Youghal RNLI and Rescue 117 were already at the casualty vessel.
Both lifeboats remained on standby while the casualty was winched from the vessel by Rescue 117 and transferred for emergency evacuation to Cork University Hospital.
The remaining members of the group did not require assistance, and the casualty vessel subsequently returned safely to Dungarvan. Both lifeboats were then stood down.
Ballycotton RNLI returned to harbour at approximately 6.15pm, where the lifeboat was refuelled before the volunteer crew continued with their scheduled weekly training session.
Coxswain Eolan Walsh said the man sustained an injury on his lower leg. He said the group was out on a “pleasure fishing trip”.
Walsh has been involved with the RNLI for “thirty-something years” and said it was the first time he had tended to an incident where someone was bitten by a shark.
However, he said he was aware of a man who was bitten by a shark in 2018 off the coast of Co Cork.
Walsh described the rescue as “a well-co-ordinated multi-agency response” with Ballycotton RNLI, Youghal RNLI and Rescue 117 working together to ensure the man received “urgent medical assistance as quickly and safely as possible”.
“Our crew were pleased to be able to support the operation and remain on scene while the casualty was transferred for emergency treatment and we wish the casualty a full recovery,” he said.
“Incidents such as this are a reminder that conditions at sea can change quickly and that anyone heading offshore should make safety a priority.
“Ensure your vessel is suitable for the conditions, wear a properly fitted life jacket or personal flotation device, carry a reliable means of communication, and make sure someone ashore knows your plans.
“If you get into difficulty at sea, call for help early – contacting the Coast Guard at 999 or 112 can make all the difference.”
