Multiple missing children were reported to the Irish Coast guard after a thick sea fog took over north Dublin beaches.
And people are being urged to give their kids waterproof identification wristbands when visiting the beaches over the summer. The thick sea fog caused panic yesterday after causing a "total whiteout" along the capital's coast.
Howth Coast Guard tweeted: "During an unexpected blanket of sea fog covering north Dublin beaches on Sunday, multiple missing children were reported to the Coast Guard. Ask your local Coast Guard station to provide you waterproof identification wristbands for your family’s next visit to the beach."
Read more: 'Total whiteout' on Donabate beach as swimmers 'ordered out of water' due to fog
Swimmers were asked to leave the water on Donabate beach yesterday when the fog quickly descended. One beachgoer told Dublin Live: "It was a bit foggy further up the beach and the lifeguard headed for the water with his megaphone and ordered everyone out of the water.
"He said it wasn’t safe to swim and the beach was now red flag. It drifted up really fast and it was a complete whiteout. Everyone left the beach in droves."
A top forecaster has explained how the thick fog formed. He stressed that sea fog is nothing serious- a relief to the hoards of people that took to social media in search for an explanation.
Alan O'Reilly of Carlow Weather told RTE Radio 1 that the sea fog is caused when hot air meets the cool sea water.
He said: "I had a lot of followers who were very worried because they were told they had to get out of the water quickly. Sea fog is basically when you have the hot air and then the cooler water at sea. That causes the condensation.
"Depending on the wind direction and the wind strength, it can very quickly blow onto the beach. That's what happens. You go from clear blue skies and it being really really hot to all of a sudden being completely submerged in this very thick fog.
"It's just sea fog that blows off the sea. It's not anything more interesting than that."
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