A man has been airlifted to hospital after he was reported to have gotten into difficulty while surfing in West Clare this morning.
The alarm was raised at around 9am when the Irish Coast Guard was alerted to the incident. It had been reported that a surfer had been injured and was on the rocks at Ballard Bay near Doonbeg.
The Kilkee unit of the Irish Coast Guard responded to the incident along with the Shannon-based Coast Guard search and rescue helicopter.
One surfer, part of a larger group, was said to have sustained injuries. His companions went to his aid and raised the alarm.
When Rescue 115 arrived at the scene, with the help of the other surfers, the injured man was winched on board the helicopter. He was airlifted to University Hospital Galway for treatment.
It’s believed the group had been surfing Riley’s Wave, which can appear in the area during periods of large swell, attracting surfers and body-boarders from all over the world.
In 2016, a body-boarder was airlifted to hospital after he was injured in the same area.
A year earlier, a world-champion body-boarder was also injured at the same location and had to be flown to hospital for treatment.