Swimmer rescued off Waterford coast after being heard shouting for help

Sarah Slater

An exhausted swimmer who got into difficulty off the Co Waterford coast is recovering after an ordeal which lasted several hours.

Tramore RNLI managed to rescue the swimmer in the early hours of Saturday morning in Tramore Bay.

The lifeboat came to the aid of the swimmer after the crew received a report from the Irish Coast Guard that an exhausted swimmer was in trouble and was seen clinging to rocks in the bay.

The inshore lifeboat was launched a short time later with three crew members onboard.

The crew found the swimmer submerged in water and holding on to a rock surrounded by water, exhausted and unable to return to shore close to the Guillamene platform in Tramore Bay.

A passerby heard the swimmer shouting for help, and made an emergency call to the Coast Guard.

The swimmer was subsequently brought to shore by the lifeboat crew and taken by ambulance to University Hospital Waterford (UHW) for treatment.