A DIVER owes her life to the men and women of Skerries lifeboat after being rescued from a popular local swimming spot having been stung in the face by jellyfish.
The female diver was suffering from severe hypothermia and several jellyfish stings to the face when she was found by the local RNLI lifeboat crew.At 11 a.m. last Sunday morning, Skerries RNLI were tasked by Dublin Coast Guard to search for two female divers reported missing in the vicinity of Red Island headland in Skerries.
The volunteer crew launched their inshore lifeboat with Joe May as Helm and crew members
Peter Kennedy, Stephen Crowley and Paddy Dillon also on board.
The lifeboat proceeded to the area to begin searching for the divers. After a short time searching, a number of divers were seen on the shore at a local swimming spot called 'The Springers'.
A crew member was put ashore to see if these were the divers that had been reported missing. It was quickly determined that they were and that one female diver was in need of urgent medical assistance.
Volunteer RNLI tractor driver and Dublin Fire Brigade emergency first responder,
Paul Hamilton and Skerries RNLI Medical Advisor, Dr. Seamus Mulholland were quickly on scene to begin offering medical assistance to the casualty.
They were joined by members of the Skerries Coast Guard unit who had also been tasked to help in the initial search. Skerries fire brigade, who were responding to the call, also arrived on scene within minutes.
The casualty was suffering from severe hypothermia and jellyfish stings to the face and was in a 'serious condition'.
Spokesperson for Skerries RNLI, Gerry Canning said: 'It was decided that a medical transfer to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda by the Coast Guard helicopter R116 was the best option.
'The helicopter landed on Red Island and personnel from all of the emergency services carried the casualty to the helicopter and placed her on board.
'The lifeboat then recovered the volunteer crew member before returning to base.'
Praising the efforts of all involved in the rescue, Mr. Canning said: 'This was a perfect example of how well our volunteers and all the other emergency services work together to ensure that casualties get the best possible care and in the quickest possible time.'
Commenting on the rescue, Vanessa Gaffney, Skerries Coast Guard noted: 'The casualty was quickly located, medical treatment provided and evacuated by Coast Guard helicopter, all within a very short time frame. This was a good example of all the emergency services working seamlessly together in their respective roles.'
'We would thank the members of the public for their cooperation and assistance during the evacuation, on what was a very busy Sunday morning. All of the public safely followed the instructions of the Coast Guard personnel at the helicopter landing site and that is to be commended.'
