Viral video sparks safety warnings

AFTER a video of a ‘secret beach’ in Ballybunion went viral this week, local Sea & Cliff Rescue Service member Frank O’Connor has warned about the dangers of people trying to enter the cave.

The video, which was taken by Sligo surfer Paul Deering and friends on a recent trip to Kerry, shows the group entering what they describe as a ‘spectacular’ cave on their surf boards. This video was subsequently shared by a number of media outlets.

With all this national attention on the area, Frank says that it is imperative that anyone visiting the cave – or any sea cave – should apply common sense.

“Any tidal cave is dangerous for the simple reason that you just can’t predict the swell. You could just about enter a cave if the tide is pretty low and what can happen is that a swell can just pick you up and you can be knocked unconscious by hitting your head off the top of a cave,” said Frank.

“Always be cautious... a lot of common sense needs to be used. Unless it’s flat calm, you can’t predict what’s going to come in behind you with regards to waves or rollers,” he warned.

“It may only be only a freak wave that will do the damage but that then leaves us looking for you for the next couple of days,” he added.

“Just use a bit of common sense. I know that it’s probably the wrong thing to say, but you need to ask yourself: ‘what’s the big attraction with heading in there?’

There’s always a danger, you can just never trust the sea. Check the weather forecast, whether the tide is coming or going and always tell somebody where you are going and what time you intend to be coming back so that if something does go wrong, they can sound the alarm,” he said.

Photo by Paul Deering. Paul Deering and his friends stumbled across this hidden cave near Ballybunion while surfing.