Christmas Day swimmers urged to stay safe and check sea conditions

Eva Osborne

Christmas Day swimmers are being urged to check sea conditions before going for a swim tomorrow.

An icy cold dip on Christmas morning has grown in popularity in recent years, with many people raising money for charity.

Sea conditions are expected to be choppy on the east coast, with calmer conditions forecast along the west of the country.

Elena Green from the Leinster Open Sea Swimming Group shared advice on Newstalk for beginners planning a Christmas Day dip.

"Make sure you have clothes prepared for getting out because you're going to be cold. So, you need to get your clothes on quickly so don't wear tight clothes," she said.

"I would wear two pairs of trousers, loose trousers, and probably a thermal vest under two or three layers. And always bring a wooly hat and maybe a neck piece. This will help to warm you up quickly.

"If you want to swim, go to the west of Ireland, it will probably calm flat seas. But actually along the Dublin coast or anywhere along the east coast is probably going to be a problem.

"You may be able to get a swim at Sandycove because it's kind of got an enclosed area and you probably would be able to get in and out there, but go down and assess it."

Finn Mullan, a safety officer with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), said the sea forecast looks a lot calmer on the west coast tomorrow.

"We've got an easterly airflow forecast for the next couple of days, right up to Christmas Day, and so on the east coast of the island, any of those shores are going to have a chop and a sea swell made by those strong north easterly winds," he said.

"So the advice is always, if it doesn't feel right, if it doesn't look right, don't get in."