Only up to their waists. That's as far as they went into the water. Bobby Taylor, Michael Higgins, Tommy Coyle and Lawrence Cooke. Four friends seizing the last chance of a weekend break in the sun before Leaving Certificate examinations began.
They could have gone to the bathing resort of Rosses Point, five miles north-west of Sligo town. Instead they made the shorter journey to Strandhill, where surfers were out in force, making the most of the good swell for which the beach is famous.
The four teenagers, all nonswimmers, waded in only up to their waists. And then they were gone, swept away, it is believed, by a strong rip current (see graphic explaining how rip currents work and what to do if caught in one).
Only one, 18-year-old Lawrence Cooke, survived.
The tragedy last Sunday shocked the Co Sligo parishes of Gurteen and Keash where the teenagers grew up. But the anguish felt by mourners has been tinged with anger as they asked: why were there no lifeguards on duty? How can a beach be safe for surfers and not bathers? And why isn't there a more co-ordinated approach to water safety?
Mr Robert Molloy, Minister of State for the Environment, has ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy as well as a general safety review. But already some answers have been forthcoming which suggest the national policy on water safety leaves something to be desired.
First, there is the issue of lifeguard cover. In the case of Strandhill, the lifeguard service had been withdrawn three years ago after the beach was judged unsafe for bathing by the National Safety Council (NSC), which inspects up to 30 beaches each year. Acting on the NSC's advice, Sligo County Council took the view that if the service was continued people might infer that the beach was safe for bathing.
Yet other local authorities operate differently. In the Fingal County Council area north of Dublin, for instance, two beaches deemed unsafe for bathing at certain times - Burrow Road, Sutton, and Claremont Beach, Howth - are serviced by lifeguards. "We don't have the same policy of saying `no bathing, no lifeguards,"' said Mr Maurice McDonough, senior environmental officer at the council.
The local authority is helped by the fact that it carries its own insurance, unlike Sligo County Council, which was told by insurers that they could not provide cover for lifeguards at Strandhill.
However, even if Strandhill had kept its lifeguard service, there would still have been no beach guards on duty last Sunday. That is because traditionally they are not employed, in Sligo or elsewhere, until the June bank holiday weekend.
David Daly, water safety officer with Cork County Council, explains. "The vast majority of lifeguards are in the 17-to-21 age bracket who would be engaged in second- or third-level studies at least until the end of May. That means, with the best will in the world, people are not available. It's just unfortunate the fine weather has decided to come early over the past two years."
An associated problem is the variation in lifeguard cover. Different local authorities implement different policies, with about 27 beaches nationwide covered full-time between June and August, 57 full-time between July and August and 22 part-time during the summer. Any tourist wishing to find out such information would have to contact each local authority as there is no national list of serviced beaches detailing lifeguard cover.
More worrying, however, is the absence of a national list of dangerous beaches. Local authorities are not required to notify the public of treacherous areas where such hazards as shifting sands or rip currents are present. Wary of the impact on tourism, they prefer to recommend that bathers seek local advice.
Their view is shared by the NSC, which is required to carry out beach investigations confidentially. "Rather than focusing on the negative and trying to draw up a list of bad beaches, we would prefer to concentrate on the positive beaches and highlight them," said Pat Costello, chief executive of the council.
Another water safety concern raised following last Sunday's tragedy is the lack of proper demarcation between surfing and recreational beaches.
Ms Zoe Lally, administrator of the Irish Surfing Association, said: "In other countries beaches are zoned. There are distinctive areas for bathers, surfers and jetskis." While zoning beaches, using proper signposting and beach guards, may be costly, she said, "it's worth doing if it's going to save one life."
She added that, with the current increase in watersport activity, people would benefit from the investment not just in the summer but all year round. "There are as many people out surfing in Strandhill in November or December as there are in the summertime."
The Sligo accident has also cast a cloud over the standard of swimming education in the State. Of the four teenagers who got into trouble, none could swim, let alone practise lifesaving techniques.
"There is a public policy in the UK that everyone learns to swim from the age of eight. A similar co-ordinated policy is badly needed here," said Mr Roddy Gaynor, director of the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management, Ireland.
At present, he said, each local authority arranges separate training or education programmes. What is needed instead is a standard scheme, co-ordinated by the NSC, which estimates that at least 50 per cent of schools are already engaged in swimming or lifesaving activity.
In addition, Mr Gaynor said a major investment of about £40 million is needed to bring outdated public pools up to modern standards. Of the State's 105 public pools almost half are at least 25 years old, with each attracting on average about 150,000 visits a year. A further 180 swimming pools are under hotel or private club ownership.
Operating the public facilities costs the State about £3.2 million each year. This should be seen as an investment and not merely an expenditure, said Mr Gaynor. "Swimming pools don't have to run at a loss if they learn to develop a programme for greater public use."
Ms Pat Donovan, secretary of the Irish Amateur Swimming Association, said "there will never be enough swimming pools". But in the absence of capital expenditure, efforts should be made to increase access to existing facilities.
"If you had pools which are accessible to the public at a price they can afford then they wouldn't have to swim in canals and other such dangerous places," she said.
It remains to be seen if any of these issues will be tackled in the Government's review of water safety. The only concrete change expected is the implementation of an agreement which has been under negotiation for some time between the Irish Marine Emergency Service and lifeguards, establishing formal arrangements for search and rescue.
But if nothing else comes from the Strandhill tragedy it has at least forced the issue of water safety to the fore in people's minds as they prepare to head for the seaside this summer. And while it is of little comfort to the families of the victims, the tragedy will act as a warning to others and may even help to prevent further unnecessary deaths.