Agencies involved in trying to prevent drownings in Irish waters have appealed for people to minimize risks and heed water safety advice this bank holiday weekend.
With water-based activities increasing at this time of year Water Safety Ireland, the RNLI and the Coast Guard have said that so too do the number of incidents in which people get into difficulty.
The agencies have urged intending swimmers to check weather conditions and tide times before heading out, always ensure they have a means of calling for help, and to never swim alone.
They have cautioned people against using inflatable toys in open water, as currents and breezes can cause people to be swept out to sea, and advised that children should be supervised at all times near water.
Speaking on RTÉ's Brendan O’Connor programme, Cork County Council Water Safety Development Officer Caroline Casey advised people to swim at a lifeguarded waterway and to look for flags to show that lifeguards are on duty.
"Always swim between the flags close and parallel to the shore... you need to be supervising children around water all the time, on the sand or in the water," Ms Casey said.
She added that she would never encourage people to swim in reservoirs and quarries as the water temperature is much colder than the sea, and people never know what is underneath the water.
"You could be putting yourself at huge risk. The edge of quarries have very loose stone so it’s very difficult to get out if you need to get out, we would never ever recommend that," Ms Casey said.
She described inflatables as "silent killers", saying people can get swept out to sea in the blink of an eye as winds can change very fast.
Statistics compiled by Water Safety Ireland show that there were 78 drowning incidents in Ireland last year, and 245 incidents of people having to be rescued by a lifeguard.
