''It must have really killed their spirits when they weren't picked up and they knew they were there for the night''.
The father of one of the women rescued in Galway after spending 15 hours stranded at sea says they're both just happy to be alive.
Cousins Ellen Glynn and Sara Feeney drifted out while paddleboarding at Furbo beach on Wednesday night.
They managed to cling onto a lobster pot buoy and were eventually found by a local fisherman yesterday morning - 27 kilometres from where they'd set off.
Sara was released from hospital yesterday while Ellen is still receiving treatment.
Her dad Johnny Glynn says they had to deal with large waves - and the frustration of coming close to being rescued on Wednesday night.
''I said could you see the helicopters, she said they were only a few - maybe 50 metres away from them the night before'', he said.
''They were screaming but no one in the helicopters could hear, and the helicopters were hovering for a couple of hours so they just got really unlucky.
''It must have really killed their spirits when they weren't picked up and they knew they were there for the night''.
''I'm so happy. I had given up. How could they be in the water from 9.30?'' He said to the Irish Independent.
''I wasn't expecting to find them alive at this stage. We're so happy. We're forever grateful.''
Fisherman Patrick Oliver, who rescued the women, said his 18-year-old son Morgan spotted Ellen and Sara clinging to a lobster pot.
He said: '''I'd say they hung on to one another throughout the night which would be the best thing to do.''
He RTÉ that the girls were 'in shock' but were 'lucky' the weather was warm.
