Enthusiasts dive in to raise funds for volunteers they hope they’ll never need

The sixth annual Atlantic Lifeboat Swim, hosted by the Atlantic Masters Swimming Club, was launched last week and it will take place from Renville pier on June 29.

The event is now a key fundraiser for both the RNLI lifeboat station in Galway and the Oranmore Maree Coastal Search Unit. Both of these organisations are entirely volunteer ran and rely on fundraising efforts to purchase and maintain essential equipment.

The event has two distances for swimmers, a 400m at 10:30am, which is perfect as a first open water swim event, or for those who might be getting started. The swim route will run along the shoreline for 200m, to a turn point, and has full safety cover.

The 2km distance will kick off at 12:30pm and will bring swimmers out across the bay before returning to the slip.

The day will be rounded out with a BBQ in O’Reilly’s from 5pm, open to swimmers and non-swimmers.

Over the previous five years, this event has raised in excess of €35,000 – and with this year being both Atlantic Masters tenth year anniversary and the 200th year of the RNLI, the organisers are hoping to make this the best one yet!

“We have all seen such a huge increase in the number of people swimming especially since Covid, it’s always reassuring to know that if anything was to happen in the water, we have these exceptional organisations that are there to help,” said Atlantic Masters’ Eimear Keane.

“We hope we never need them, but we’re proud to be able to say thank you for their work by raising these funds.”

Pictured: Launching the lifeboat swim were (from left) James McCormack, Eimear O’Connor, Frankie Leonard and Seán Óg Leydon.