State agencies have warned surfers, sea and shore anglers and people walking near the west coast to take "no risks" this weekend, due to a high seas warning issued by Met Éireann. Lorna Siggins, Marine Correspondent, reports.
Wave heights of more than 10 metres and storm-force winds are forecast today for the west and northwest coasts, peaking during daylight hours with a very heavy swell on the Atlantic coastline.
Irish Water Safety (IWS) and the Irish Coast Guard have appealed to the public to avoid exposed coasts, cliffs, piers, harbour walls, beaches, promenades or any other coastal areas.
A combination of tides, high sea conditions, swollen rivers and the forecasted west to south-west gale to storm-force winds may result in "very dangerous conditions" on the entire west coast, they emphasise.
IWS says that surfers may perceive the predicted waves, coupled with high water of 4.5 metres, as the "ultimate challenge", but points out that this may in turn attract many less experienced surfers to a "very hazardous environment".
It says that anglers, particularly "foreign nationals" who enjoy shore angling, should be "extremely vigilant" to the large Atlantic swell which, it points out, "is dramatically different to that experienced on the relatively calmer Baltic Sea".
Walkers along the west coast should also "remain on higher alert" as ordinary, familiar pathways close to the coastline will be at risk of being washed over by exceptionally large waves.
The Marine Institute says that the biggest waves recorded to date by its data buoy network were 13.4 metres high at its M1 buoy to the west of Galway Bay on January 17th, 2005. Similar conditions could occur this weekend if weather develops as predicted, it says.
The Labour Party's marine spokesman, Senator Michael McCarthy, has paid tribute to the Marine Institute and Met Éireann for issuing the warnings "in such a timely manner".
"These warnings are vital for our ships and fishing vessels, which greatly rely on these two state bodies," he said yesterday. "Without doubt, such warnings will reduce the chances that the weekend's extreme weather events will end in tragedy or disaster."
IWS said last night that a warning translated into Polish had been posted on its website, www.iws.ie, and the Polish embassy in Dublin had also issued similar information on its website, www.dublin.polemb.net
Karin Dubsky of Coastwatch Ireland said that the lack of "real protection or management" of the coastal zone could exacerbate risk to life and damage caused by flooding.