A swimmer had to be rescued after getting into very serious difficulty at Tramore Beach this morning.
The person was unconscious by the time they were brought back to shore by lifeguards.
Thankfully, they, along with members of the public and the National Ambulance Service, managed to save the person's life.
Lola O'Sullivan is the Chairperson of Water Safety Ireland's Waterford branch.
She's told WLR News in the last few minutes, it was a scary situation that has thankfully turned out ok:
"I want to commend the lifeguards who did an incredible rescue and also the National Ambulance Service, who were in attendance.
"I think the incident could have been a whole lot worse if the lifeguards weren't there.
"The swimmer got caught in a bit of a rip and got taken out and lost their footing.
"It was the prompt action of the lifeguards that were on duty to get the person in onto the beach.
"There were also members of the public who assisted, once the person was brought onto the beach and it made a huge difference.
"The outcome has been very positive."
Lola says the incident highlights the importance of only swimming in areas that are manned by lifeguards:
"Absolutely. In Waterford we have five lifeguarded beaches.
"We have Dunmore East, Tramore, Bunmahon, Clonea, and Ardmore, so I would appeal to people to stay within the flags and listen to what the lifeguards have to say.
"It is a good outcome [today], but it could have been an awful lot worse."
