Dangers of children using inflatables without proper supervision.

Parents and guardians of children everywhere should read this and take heed. A major catastrophe was averted. https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/heatwave/twin-girls-4-among-six-people-rescued-by-hero-onlookers-after-air-mattress-drifted-out-to-sea-37079130.html

verycool

"major catastrophe"

Were they floating towards an oil rig... with nitroglycerin?

whisky_galore

Not just children, but dopes of adults.

http://www.highlandradio.com/extra/two-men-rescued-after-drifting-out-to-sea-in-inflatable-dinghy/

Two men rescued after drifting out to sea in a cheap supermarket dinghy ran off when they got back to shore. Dressed in just vests and shorts could have died when they took the flimsy blow up boat into the Atlantic.

A spokesperson for Killybegs Coast Guard said they received a call at around 8pm on Tuesday that two men were roughly one nautical mile south east of St. John’s Point.

He said: “This type of inflatable boat is not suitable for the sea, he warned novice sailors are risking their lives by taking to the sea in cheap boats.

“It’s an ongoing problem that people are buying these small crafts, thinking they are for the sea when they should only be used on the beach

The Killybegs Coast Guard crew were out for three hours on the rescue operation. Their spokesperson took the opportunity to remind the public to use life jackets and take a phone or radio with you whenever going out to sea or near water.

He also suggested looking up the Irish Sailing Association’s SafeTrx app for iPhones and androids. The app allows you to plan your journey then monitors your progress and alerts emergency contacts should you fail to return on time.

Graces7

whisky_galore wrote: »

Not just children, but dopes of adults.

http://www.highlandradio.com/extra/two-men-rescued-after-drifting-out-to-sea-in-inflatable-dinghy/

Two men rescued after drifting out to sea in a cheap supermarket dinghy ran off when they got back to shore. Dressed in just vests and shorts could have died when they took the flimsy blow up boat into the Atlantic.

A spokesperson for Killybegs Coast Guard said they received a call at around 8pm on Tuesday that two men were roughly one nautical mile south east of St. John’s Point.

He said: “This type of inflatable boat is not suitable for the sea, he warned novice sailors are risking their lives by taking to the sea in cheap boats.

“It’s an ongoing problem that people are buying these small crafts, thinking they are for the sea when they should only be used on the beach

The Killybegs Coast Guard crew were out for three hours on the rescue operation. Their spokesperson took the opportunity to remind the public to use life jackets and take a phone or radio with you whenever going out to sea or near water.

He also suggested looking up the Irish Sailing Association’s SafeTrx app for iPhones and androids. The app allows you to plan your journey then monitors your progress and alerts emergency contacts should you fail to return on time.

The number of lives lost through sheer ( understandable) overexcited ignorance each summer
is appalling.. people on holiday leave their sense at home. The ocean is a powerful force.

topper75

verycool wrote: »

"major catastrophe"

Were they floating towards an oil rig... with nitroglycerin?

:P

With so much poor journalism over the years, the terms catastrophe and tragedy have become conflated somewhat.

Grayson

You should look up some of the horror stories about Vang Vieng in laos. used to be the "Tubing" capital of the world. Get locked whilst floating down a river on an inflatable tire.

Graces7

topper75 wrote: »

:P

With so much poor journalism over the years, the terms catastrophe and tragedy have become conflated somewhat.

In this case? 2 small girls drifting out to sea and 4 men in danger trying to reach them? Yes catastrophic, and a potential tragedy.
So six lives mean nothing to you?

jamesbere

Delighted the two girls were saved and obviously traumatic for the father but seriously negligent on the parents part. Could of lost their two daughters and potentially others.

People really don't under the power of the sea, before the summer is out your going to hear of some tragedy on the sea because of pure idiocy.

wexie

Grayson wrote: »

You should look up some of the horror stories about Vang Vieng in laos. used to be the "Tubing" capital of the world. Get locked and/or otherwise intoxicated whilst floating down a river on an inflatable tire.

What could possibly go wrong?

B0jangles

Those things should never be used at the beach unless it's basically flat calm, and if even if it is, it's probably not worth the risk of a breeze springing up. Any kind of offshore breeze and you could be dangerously far out in seconds.

If the people watching hadn't reacted as quickly as they did, those 2 children would very probably have drowned - I think that counts as a near-tragedy.

Hector Bellend

further proof that the collective IQ in ireland drops by a significant amount when the weather changes.

DEFTLEFTHAND

Keep the inflatables to swimming pools.

Hande hoche!

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Keep the inflatables to swimming pools.

What about divorcees?

Graces7

Hector Bellend wrote: »

further proof that the collective IQ in ireland drops by a significant amount when the weather changes.

And in winter they skate on "frozen " ponds..

RandomName2

Graces7 wrote: »

In this case? 2 small girls drifting out to sea and 4 men in danger trying to reach them? Yes catastrophic, and a potential tragedy.
So six lives mean nothing to you?

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH


It was almost 9/11

times

1000




In other news a major catastrophe was narrowly averted when a car on the N11 braked just in time not to hit a motorcyle.

odyssey06

The (sad) thing is if you had said it to the parents, had you been able to find them, and warned them, they would probably have said "Mind your own f******g business."

Most non pig headed parents don't need to be warned about such obvious dangers; and the pig headed ones will just tell you where to shove well intentioned advice.

Stoner

odyssey06 wrote:

Most non pig headed parents don't need to be warned about such obvious dangers; and the pig headed ones will just tell you where to shove well intentioned advice.

Going back over the years my father saved three people from drowning, on the second occasion it was two kids on a blow up tire, they were whisked out to sea,

He swam out grabbed the tire under his arm and grabbed the other young lad by the hair and swam in, poor lad was dragged in by his hair while the other sat in the tires.

Very dangerous things, great fun in a pool but deadly in the sea, they move so quickly

Grayson

Stoner wrote: »

Going back over the years my father saved three people from drowning, on the second occasion it was two kids on a blow up tire, they were whisked out to sea,

He swam out grabbed the tire under his arm and grabbed the other young lad by the hair and swam in, poor lad was dragged in by his hair while the other sat in the tires.

Very dangerous things, great fun in a pool but deadly in the sea, they move so quickly

I grew up in the midlands. Loads of lakes but you don't need to worry about currents etc as much. Still, there were places we were told not to swim in because they were dangerous. People have died there and people have died since.
I think there's just a certain amount of willful blindness.

whisky_galore

Hector Bellend wrote: »

further proof that the collective IQ in ireland drops by a significant amount when the weather changes.

It's snows "let's go driving in our 4WD (with 4WD turned off) and see all the cool snow"

It's sunny "let's buy a boat in Lidl and go on a trip to Wales"
or "have a few cans and swim in this canal full of rubbish and dead dogs"
or even "let's climb this mountain, with no map or proper gear"

topper75

Graces7 wrote: »

In this case? 2 small girls drifting out to sea and 4 men in danger trying to reach them? Yes catastrophic, and a potential tragedy.
So six lives mean nothing to you?

I didn't want anybody to lose their lives. Thankfully nobody lost their lives.
Now that I've cleared that up for you, perhaps you can clear this up for me: are the words catastrophe and tragedy synonymous?