Surfers refuse rescue

Gone West

http://www.isasurf.ie/index.php?page=statementfromtheiris

Statement from the Irish Marine Search & Rescue Committee

At the recent meeting of the Irish Marine Search and Rescue Committee (IMSARC), an incident, which occurred near the Cliffs of Moher, Co. Clare on 24th November 2006, was reported to the Committee and discussed. The incident in question involved three surfers who were reported to be in difficulty, resulting in the Shannon Coast Guard helicopter, the Aran Islands lifeboat and Doolin Coast Guard Unit being tasked to assist. The Committee was informed that the surfers refused assistance from the helicopter, because the crew would not recover their surfboards. Eventually the surfers were rescued by the Doolin Coast Guard Unit boat and transferred to the Aran Islands lifeboat.

During the course of the attempted helicopter rescue, the pilot and crew had displayed exceptional airmanship and courage in manoeuvring the aircraft into position to carry out the rescue. They were operating close up against the cliff face and succeeded in lowering the winch man on a 260-foot cable to recover the surfers who had become stranded on rocks below.

The Committee expressed its deep concern in relation to this incident and wishes to state in the strongest terms that the behaviour of the surfers involved was completely unacceptable to the rescue agencies and to the maritime community that it represents.

It further stated that the actions of those who seek recreation on Irish waters and who then place themselves in undue peril in the expectation that the rescue services will respond is totally unacceptable, reprehensible and dangerously irresponsible.

The Committee stressed that the rescue services in Ireland never fail to give assistance to any person in distress at sea or elsewhere. Therefore, there is an obligation on the public firstly to exercise prudence, and secondly to respond to the reasonable requests made by the rescue units at the scene of any incident in an effort to save life.

14th December 2006

Issued by: Veronica Scanlan (01) 6041087 / 087 6430622

Statement from Irish Marine Rescue Committee

I think this is absolutely shameful...

Thoughts?

Endurance Man

Hell, let them drown if they wanna act like tools.

Gone West

Yep no matter how much their boards cost, it cost a hell of a lot more to put a rescue chopper in the air.
They should have been made to pay for hte cost of the rescue.

lightening

I am not sure, but I heard somewhere that they didn't need or want to be rescued. They had lost their underwater camera gear and were regrouping when a bystander thought they were in more trouble than they were and called the coast guard.

Gone West

Why accept rescue from the lifeboat then?

v300

This was just a misunderstanding on an enormous scale.
The surfers were happy to be left alone and the rescue service over reacted to their "thanks, but no thanks" attitude.
Now the Rescue service is going to make an example of them, and lumber these guys with a huge fine.
No surfer likes to be pulled from the water, especially when they consider themselves as having the situation under control.
It's hard to relate this to non-watersports people...
Not everyone is scared to have a few feet of water under their feet.

eth0_

I can't imagine anyone calling the coastguard unless these people looked like they were in serious difficulty.

If it really was the 'fault' of a caring bystander, then the surfers should take it upon themselves to educate the public - put up a sign explaining the difference between normal activities for surfers, and signs of someone genuinely in difficulty.

I still think these jerks should be made pay for the helicopter rescue - they obviously wanted rescuing when they asked could their boards come on board too. If not, they were taking the pi55 out of the coastguard and DEFINITELY deserve the fine!

turbot

Somehow, I can't imagine the surfers using a waterproof mobile phone in the rough water conditions by the Cliffs Of Moher, to call a helicopter rescue.

If they were in that much trouble, they probably wouldn't be able to make a call, and successfully advise a coast guard what they needed, and where they were. So first I want to know who placed that call, and how they judged these surfers were in trouble?

Secondly, I can't imagine anyone less than very confident and advanced surfing around the cliffs of moher. And most adventure sports people like this are both very tough and very competent.

Third, if their situation was not so critical that instead of getting an airlift, they were prepared to wait on their surf boards, it doesn't sound like that much of an emergency.

Survival is an instinct stronger than keeping a surfboard - if someone is on the verge of drowning usually they want to live. But if they were not so worried for their survival that they were prepared to wait around, maybe it wasn't an emergency for them at all.

Finally, I'm surprised that a public statement like this may have been made, and I wonder if it can be considered defamatory when it doesn't answer the above questions clearly.

lightening

eth0_ wrote:

I can't imagine anyone calling the coastguard unless these people looked like they were in serious difficulty.

I can! People read situations wrong all the time, I had a helicopter land on Irelands eye (a small island off Howth in Dublin bay) during a canoe trip, someone saw the fire, called the lifeboat tellling them we were on the beach calling for rescue! I had notified the coast guard and the coxwain on the life boat, so the guys were pretty cool about it. (they were out doing excersises anyway)

eth0_ wrote:

If it really was the 'fault' of a caring bystander, then the surfers should take it upon themselves to educate the public - put up a sign explaining the difference between normal activities for surfers, and signs of someone genuinely in difficulty.

Good point, they were in a bit of bother, they lost their camera gear. I just don't know how they could convey everything was allright from the bottom of the cliff. Putting up signs in case someone misunderstands what you are doing is a lot of work, I don't think it would work. AsV300 says, this is a huge misunderstanding. They got some practise in and no one was hurt.

binhead

laaaaaaaate reply here.

You don't surf at the cliffs of Moher unless you are a seriously good surfer.

I too heard that about a concerned bystander making the call. Like yea I accept that the rescue costs are high and in a situation like that you abandon your gear and take the line but if these guys weren't in distress and didn't need rescuing then you have to see it from their side.

Surfboards aren't cheap either.

And as for surfers making it their responsibility to educate the public as to when we are in distress or not in distress??? eh, how exactly? wave once for having fun and twice for drowning?

Yes there are idiots who paddle out with absolutely no regard for safety and rules but the majority of us understand and respect the ocean and take the risks very seriously.

It's a tricky one to solve but at least no one was actually injured during the whole thing.

Paddle on.