A fisherman who found two women who were missing in Galway says he was able to predict their location.
They were missing at sea overnight but were found alive earlier.
The two women, aged 17 and 23, failed to return to shore after heading out paddle boarding on Wednesday night.
They set out from Furbogh Beach at 8.00pm and the alarm was raised shortly after 10.00pm.
They were found by local fisherman Patrick Oliver, clinging to a lobsters pot after spending 15 hours at sea.
He said he and his son Morgan were searching for four or five before they came across them.
Patrick told The Hard Shoulder he heard about the missing women early on Thursday morning.
"A brother of mine there let me know this morning - and as soon as we heard we just left, myself and my son.
"We didn't plan on going fishing early today, but as soon as I heard we left and went straight to the docks."
"I suppose just over time you build up experience, but last night when the wind was northerly - it was coming off the land - because it was on the north shore where they were paddle boarding.
"With the wind and just predicting where they did travel - or would go - if they were sitting up on the boards, that's where we thought they would [be].
"We just aimed for that area and went and that was it".
A very well deserved welcome to @portofgalway for our Crew member Patrick Oliver and his son Morgan after rescuing the 2 ladies from Inis Oír. Thank you to all our SAR colleagues who assisted with this search throughout the night and this morning @RNLI #FantasticOutcome pic.twitter.com/ydHxEvq8Da
— RNLI Galway Lifeboat (@GalwayLifeboat) August 13, 2020
"We estimated that overnight they were about 15 hours in the water.
"So at two knots we were saying that's probably 30 miles travelling and were aiming for 30 miles.
"We were at 17 or 18 miles and Morgan spotted them in the distance, my son".
"They were there, they were sitting up on their boards waving their paddles.
"They did the right thing, they stayed together all night, and just basically drifted.
"And when they came across the buoy early this morning, they held on to that.
"That saved their life as much as we did, getting them in the boat, really they would have went out to sea".
"We got them inside, got them to sit down on the wheelhouse floor there just for a bit of comfort because it was still a bit choppy.
"Wrapped them up as much as we could and just gave them some water there."
Mr Oliver is a member of the RNLI Galway Lifeboat Station.
"We're involved in the water all the time, so it happens I suppose.
"It's not really a set thing - maybe every few weeks, maybe a few months."
"It's really the offshore wind that people wouldn't really understand that.
"If they're going to sea, if you're in a little dinghy or a lilo, if the wind is coming off the shore it's going to carry you straight out.
"If it doesn't change, you're just going to keep going".
