THE CASTLETOWNBERE RNLI lifeboat was launched this afternoon after of two kayakers got into difficulty off Cods Head on the Beara Peninsula.

Both kayakers had a VHF radio and a PLB (Person Locator Beacon) and were able to raise the alarm immediately.

Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat ‘Annette Hutton’ was paged at 11:57am and launched at 12.03pm under the command of Coxswain Dean Hegarty.

The crew included mechanic David O’Donovan, as well as Joe Cronin, John William O’Donoghue, Donagh Murphy and Dion Kelly.

The RNLI said that during the rescue operation, the weather was calm but visibility was poor at only 100 metres.

As well as the lifeboat, the Valentia Coastguard requested assistancefrom the Castletownbere Coast Guard unit, the National Ambulance Service and the Shannon-based AW 189 Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue 115.

Not long after the RNLI was alerted, the two kayakers managed to scramble ashore. One of the kayaks was damaged.

The lifeboat and helicopter were both stood down at 12.27pm and the lifeboat was returned at 12.55pm. It was refuelled and made ready for service.

The two kayakers were attended to by the Castletownbere Coast Guard unit and both were found to be safe and well.

The Lifeboat Launching Authority, Brendan O’Driscoll, commented ‘This call-out demonstrated the importance of having the correct safety equipment when going to sea – these two kayakers had both a VHF and PLB and were able to raise the alarm with no difficulty and therefore, the emergency services were able to respond immediately. He also praised lifeboat crew for their very quick response.’