Man Hospitalized After Suspected Shark Bite Off Waterford Coast

What Happened

A man was rescued from a pleasure boat off the coast of Waterford after sustaining a leg injury from a suspected shark bite. The incident occurred approximately four miles off Ram Head, Ardmore, involving a five-meter vessel with five people aboard.

Key Facts

• The Irish Coast Guard received a report of a male on board a fishing vessel suffering a leg injury inflicted by a shark bite.
• The incident took place on Tuesday afternoon, with the Coast Guard alerted around 4:15pm.
• The man is believed to have been bitten by a blue shark as he attempted to control it after bringing it onto the boat.
• A multi-agency response included the Irish Coast Guard helicopter (Rescue 117), Ballycotton RNLI, and Youghal RNLI.
• The injured man was winched from the vessel by Rescue 117 and transferred to Cork University Hospital for emergency treatment.
• The remaining individuals on board did not require assistance, and the vessel returned safely to Dungarvan.

Background

The rescue operation was coordinated by the Dublin Coast Guard, with Ballycotton RNLI launching its lifeboat at 4:30pm. The lifeboat arrived on scene around 5:10pm, where Youghal RNLI and Rescue 117 were already present at the casualty vessel. Coxswain Eolan Walsh described the event as a well-coordinated multi-agency response.