A man has been taken to hospital after suffering a serious shark bite off the coast of Co Waterford.
The incident happened on Tuesday afternoon while the man was on board a five-metre pleasure boat.
The Irish Coast Guard received a report at around 4.15pm that a man had suffered a leg injury after being bitten by a shark.
Blue Shark. Image Credit: Shutterstock
It is understood the shark was a blue shark. The man was reportedly bitten while trying to control the shark after it had been pulled on board the boat.
There were five people on board the vessel, which was around four miles off Ram Head near Ardmore.
A multi-agency rescue operation was launched following the incident.
Ballycotton RNLI was asked by Dublin Coast Guard to assist. Its all-weather lifeboat, The Austin Lidbury, was launched at around 4.30pm.
Youghal RNLI and the Irish Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 117 were also sent to the scene.
Ballycotton RNLI said its lifeboat arrived at around 5.10pm. Youghal RNLI and Rescue 117 were already at the vessel at that stage.
The injured man was winched from the boat by the Coast Guard helicopter.
Cork Hospital. D. Ribeiro, Shutterstock
He was then taken to Cork University Hospital for emergency treatment and handed over to HSE staff.
The other four people on board did not require assistance.
The vessel later returned safely to Dungarvan, while both lifeboats were stood down.
Ballycotton RNLI coxswain Eolan Walsh described the rescue as a “well-coordinated multi-agency response”.
He said the crew were pleased to support the operation while the injured man was transferred for treatment.
“We wish the casualty a full recovery,” he said.
Mr Walsh also reminded people heading out to sea to make safety a priority.
He said incidents such as this are a reminder that conditions at sea can change quickly.
