Fáilte chuig suíomh idirlín an Cumann Sábháilteacht Uisce
Contae an Cláir.

Irish Water Safety (IWS) is the statutory voluntary body established to promote water safety in Ireland.
Irish Water Safety Clare exists to plan, promote and implement water safety activities within County Clare.
These activities include Water Safety classes, training of Beach & Pool Lifeguards, Instructors, Examiners, Cardiac First Responders, Rescue boat crew & Surf Lifesaving competitors.

Contact us: clarewsac@gmail.com

Upcoming courses 2019:

Please go to the 'Water Safety Classes' section for further details

Miltown (White Strand)

Rescues & Safetys: 15 - 19 July 2019

Seals & Marlins: 22 - 26 July 2019

*Candidates should attend lessons EACH day

Competitions 2019:

(Info available in 'Sport' at www.iws.ie) 

• National Junior, Senior & Master Stillwater Championships - 23&24 Feb 2019 in UL

• Munster Nipper Stillwater - 24th March 2019 in UL
• National Nipper Stillwater Champs - 19th April, Venue TBC

• Munster Nipper/Junior Surf Lifesaving -  10&11 Aug 2019 in Clare (TBC)

• National Nipper/Youth Surf Lifesaving Championships - 24&25th August 2019 (TBC)

• National Senior/Masters Championship: 31st August, Clare 

• European Chamionships - 17th to 18th September 2019, Riccione, Italy

European Masters Championships, Alicante

Norma Cahill & Sinead Mortell competed for the Hibernia Masters team at the European Championships in Alicante on 26th & 27th May 2017.

The weather for the competition, as you might expect, was very sunny & hot, the wind was very strong throughout the beach comp, gaining in strength so much that the competition was cancelled two events from the end on the Sunday.

It is unusual for Lifesaving competitions to be held before the summer season, but the girls got their training done throughout winter & spring to bring home a haul of gold medals.

Norma won the Board race, Swim race and Ski race in the 50-55 category, while Sinead won the Swim & Board race in the 40-45 category. The girls combined to win the Board Rescue team event in difficult conditions. Norma displayed her competitive spirit again by winning two of these gold medals with a badly sprained ankle, incurred during the entry to her swim race.

Congratulations to the girls, and the rest of the Hibernia team...Paddy Bond, Lisa Dalton & Triona McMenamin.

A Timely Rescue in Spanish Point

We have had fabulous weather mid June, though for two people one sunny weekend nearly ended in tragedy.

Clare County Council Lifeguards continued to keep visitors to our beautiful beaches and lakes safe by managing the swimming areas and advising members of the public.

However, with lots of waves in Spanish Point, Lahinch and Fanore, the rip currents there were particularly dangerous. Two adults swimming in Spanish Point at 19.20, twenty minutes after the Lifeguard service ended, swam into a large rip current which pulled them away from shore. Two off-duty Lifeguards, Bernard & Roisín Cahill, while driving past the beach, spotted the swimmers, recognised the danger and carried out a timely rescue.

Getting started...IRB 2018 season

IWS Clare will be collecting 2 new Zodiac MilPro boats from Tom Parry (pictured above) at the end of April. A total of 14 are being delivered to various counties at that time. The future looks bright for Surf Rescue Boats in Ireland.

All qualified drivers & crew, as well as anyone interested in learning about the IRBs and driving them and invited to come along when this season's dates are announced.

 Photo credit: Pics by Des (Tom Parry & Seamus Scholand)

LEADER funding

Irish Water Safety - Clare, gratefully acknowledges a grant of €150,000 to help with the funding for the Lifesaving Training Centre in the White Strand, Miltown Malbay.