Water Safety Advice & Lifejacket Offer

[Esox lunatic]

Wes, Sandman. This is an excellent Sticky.

There is more information out there from the RNLI and the The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)

The RNLI have a Sea Safety web site which is also very informative.

http://www.rnliseasafety.org.uk/resources/leisure

The section on fishing is currently being updated but the rest of the site has some very useful information. You can download free publications and order printed publications, most of which are free. There is also a sea safety interactive CD ROM (free) which can be ordered. They even have a publication on treating weaverfish and jellyfish stings.

The items are free but perhaps readers could make a donation to the RNLI through the appropriate channels e.g. the little lifeboat boxes in shops or support one of the RNLI fund-raising activities.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) also have a range of very useful publications for sea anglers:

http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/safety_gui ... nglers.pdf

https://mcanet.mcga.gov.uk/public/c4/se ... safety.htm

https://mcanet.mcga.gov.uk/public/c4/seasmart/tides.htm

https://mcanet.mcga.gov.uk/public/c4/se ... chinfo.htm

Shetland Coastguard is promoting a marine safety campaign, covering Scotland and Northern Ireland, aimed at all sea anglers. This initiative has been developed after recent fatal incidents involving small Sea Angling Boats in the SCOTNI area.

http://www.shetlandcoastguard.co.uk/anglingsafety.htm

http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga-safet ... n/sasi.htm

http://www.shetlandcoastguard.co.uk/pub ... afloat.pdf

Hope the links are helpful. I would urge forum members to browse them: the information could save your's or a fishing friend's life some day.

Regards,

EL

[Wes]

As you may have heard last Thursday a man in his 40's was pulled from Howth Harbour by the inshore rescue team, sadly he died at scene.

Apparently he fell/jumped in off the east pier and although the rescue team arrived on the scene within minutes and despite their best efforts, they were unable to revive him.

Whether this was accident or suicide it points out the dangers of the water. Although there may be people around, extreme care should always be taken when near the water. There are enough people being killed by cars on our roads, we dont need another set of figures for the water.

:!: Stay Safe and be careful lads :!:

:arrow: from what I understand, the chap has yet to be identified. 6', heavy build with fair complexion, between 38-45 years old.

[corbyeire]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0804/water.html

[Iain Coppinger]

Thats sound advice

[petekd]

In view of what is continually happening on our coasts with people being washed away and drowned year after year and following a request in this thread...

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=22541

I have been in contact with our club sponsor Dan Lynch of Halfway Angling and Dan will sell a 150 Newton Englands Automatic self inflating lifejacket for €60 which is bloody good value, you cant put a price on safety.

You can contact Dan on 021 4885894 or call into his shop in Halfway Village, Ballinhassig Co. Cork. Dan has a mail order business, http://www.tackledirectireland.com also so should be no problem posting them out. Tell him Pete Davis from SAI sent you.

[Tony Fella]

Fair play lets hope people will get one of these very good price ill be getting one of these

[MAC]

Excellent News Pete & fair play to Dan. Guys, if you do a serious amount of rock fishing, this should be a serious consideration.

Kev

[janie tyler]

Good on yea Pete for sourcing the life jackets and at a good price.

As it has been said anybody who does a lot of rock fishing should be wearing them and as Screeming has said it could increase you survival chances by 95%.

[jw]

Pete this is very valuable. Should we have some kind of a link right on the front page
under the SEA ANGLING IRELAND banner to this info?

Also I looked at the Irish Water Safety web site and its very poor. They talk about
keeping safe when swimming on a beach and stuff about small boats whereas
there seems to be nothing about fishing on rock ledges on the west coast.
3 lads were drowned in the last while alone doing this

[petekd]

Pete this is very valuable. Should we have some kind of a link right on the front page
under the SEA ANGLING IRELAND banner to this info?

I agree, JD, if thats OK with you....?

What gets me is this happens year after year in the Kilkee area and being very familiar with the area having fished regularly there myself several years ago when I lived in Limerick can testify to the foolhardiness of some of the individuals who frequent the area. I had to go and haul a chinese bloke away from where he was fishing at one point as he had gone right down onto a slab of rock which the waves were breaking over in parts and was running out into the wash to cast out....

Local tackle shops in that area MUST take a stand on this, too often they are probably the last port of call for individuals. Too many people have died.

Heres an idea. Someone (tourist board, council, whatever) should work out an acceptable swell for different areas and post the info on a board on a daily basis outside each tackle shop during the summer season. If that info has to be displayed in different languages, so be it.

[jd]

ok on home page..

[anthony2carr]

A lifejacket is an invaluable tool.

Whilst not to take away from your idea Pete, conditions can change very quickly. Instead a zero tolerance approx should be taken.


I Don't believe it's mandatory, but it's rare you will see a cyclist without a helmet.Should be the same for fishermen.

One more point. I've read that self inflating life jackets are only for swimmers. Non-swimmers should wear the traditional life jackets. Another drawback is once they get damp from say spray they inflate. They then have to be re-armed, this can take time and may encourage a person to venture out without a lifejacket.

[doggie3131]

brilliant idea pete,well done to all involved.

[petekd]

One more point. I've read that self inflating life jackets are only for swimmers. Non-swimmers should wear the traditional life jackets. Another drawback is once they get damp from say spray they inflate. They then have to be re-armed, this can take time and may encourage a person to venture out without a lifejacket.

Hi Anthony,

Self inflating jackets are not at all suitable for swimmers as they inflate in contact with water, are you confusing them with buoyancy aids? I personally have used 4 or 5 different brands of lifejacket, in all weather conditions and have yet to have one accidentally inflate on me. It does happen granted but in normal use, it shouldnt, certainly not with the ones on the market at the moment. You are more at risk from catching the manual toggle and inflating it than one inflating accidentally due to water ingress. Jackets do have to be rearmed and should be done so on an annual basis but its not prohibitively expensive I think its about 25 quid or so but I stand corrected on that.

[jd]

I'd prefer to have self inflating jacket myself. There is always the chance you may not be conscious when you hit the water.

[The Austrian]

...I've read that self inflating life jackets are only for swimmers. Non-swimmers should wear the traditional life jackets. Another drawback is once they get damp from say spray they inflate. They then have to be re-armed, this can take time and may encourage a person to venture out without a lifejacket.

very good info here, clarifies most issues raised above: http://www.spinnakerchandlery.co.uk/onl ... jacket.htm

[MAC]

Just re-armed one Pete. I accidently chucked it into a bucket of water while I was leaving the boat at the slip

The good news, €15 quid for the re-arm

[JOHN1]

i have to rearm 2 of mine.
the dog done one, one day when i was bringing gear in he fancied a nibbil on the interesting red toggle and bang dog lifted 6ft into the air great fun no camera to catch it.
second was last week spare blew up anchor storage had a drop of water in it and bang again frightend the shite out of me and drummer

[petekd]

bang dog lifted 6ft into the air

Thats priceless....

[MAC]

Class John, makes you wish you had a camera permently on.