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Water Safety

An average of 185 people lose their lives to drowning in Ireland every year and many of these deaths are preventable.

Waterford County Council has received the Charles Thomson Award, which recognises the outstanding contribution towards the promotion of water safety. The award was given for the provision of ringbuoys, the excellent lifeguard service that operates on some beaches and the positive manner in which information on matters of water safety is given to the public.

The beaches that have full lifeguard cover for July and August are: Ardmore, Clonea, Dunmore East, Tramore, Bonmahon.

Irish Water Safety recommend that you only swim at lifeguarded locations.

Water Safety Tips

  1. Swim at Lifeguarded waterways.
  2.  If you cannot get to a lifeguarded waterway, swim where it is traditionally known to be safe and where ringbuoys are available.
  3. Always swim and stay within your depth.
  4. Children should always be supervised in or around water.
  5. Never use inflatable toys on open water
  6. Never mix alcohol with water based activities.
  7. Never swim in quarries or reservoirs
  8. When boating always wear a correctly fitted life jacket and carry a means of communication.
  9. To escape a Rip Current swim parallel to the shore.
  10. In an emergency dial 112 and ask for the coastguard.

Contact Information

For information about local water safety, contact:

For all kinds of information on aspects of water safety go to the Irish Water Safety website.

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