Tourist returns to scene of Aran cliff fall to conquer fears

More than a year after a terrifying incident in which she was swept off the cliffs of Inis Mór by a massive wave, an Indian tourist returned to the scene to conquer her fear of water.

A YouTube video of the incident in April of last year has since been viewed more than 1.3 million times.

Aparajita (Apu) Gupta – a student in London who was holidaying in Galway – travelled to the Aran Islands to see Dún Aonghasa and the renowned Poll na bPeist ‘wormhole’, the natural pool at the bottom of the cliffs on April 8 last year.

A giant wave swept her from the cliff edge onto the rocks 40 foot below, and after a dramatic rescue by a nearby paramedic, she escaped with only a broken ankle.

She said at the time: “I tried to run, but it pushed me straight down. It was like being in a waterfall and that probably cushioned the fall. I was so scared because I thought the wave was going to come again. My ankle was completely smashed and the pain was bad.”

Now 22, Apu and her mother Simran returned to the scene last week to conquer what could have developed into a lifelong fear.

They also paid a visit to Roger Sweeney, Deputy CEO of the Galway-based Irish Water Safety, who was at her bedside in hospital.

“Undealt with fears can impact on our personal lives, but it is said by some that reflecting on a fear-inducing incident can be an effective way of taming that fear.

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“That’s a lot of fear for one sentence, yet it is exactly what this young lady from India has just done in Ireland to expunge a potential lifelong fear of water.

“A wave swept Apu from a cliff edge last year and this week she returned to the same spot, to stand further back from the edge and reflect on her frightening incident.

“More than 1.3 million people watched the video of her falling towards certain death into the wormhole.

“Thankfully Apu narrowly avoided something far more serious than her broken leg thanks to being rescued by a passerby who tied a backpack to a jacket and plucked Apu from danger,” said Mr Sweeney.

He warned of the dangers of standing near the edge of cliffs.

“The incident highlights the dangers of walking near the shoreline, particularly the dangerous swells of the Atlantic, with which many visitors will not be familiar.

“If you are bringing children to our wonderful coastline this weekend, please help to instil a healthy respect for water, not an unhealthy fear, by giving them the following simple yet lifesaving acronym: SAFE – Stay Away From Edge,” said Mr Sweeney.

Last November, paramedic Seamus McCarthy and his girlfriend Fionnuala Quigley, along with the island’s Garda Brian O’Donnell were presented with awards for their quick thinking and bravery which saved Apu.

The rescue involved tying a backpack and army parka jacket together and lowering into the water from a ledge, and from their back to the top of the cliff, where she was airlifted to UHG.