Father and son who saved two women off Galway coast stage another rescue

A swimmer who got into difficulty off the coast of Co Galway on Saturday morning has been rescued by the fishermen who saved two young women clinging to the buoy of a lobster pot earlier this year.

Patrick Oliver and his son Morgan were fishing off Salthill on Saturday when they spotted the swimmer taking refuge on Palmer's Rock.

The Olivers took the man on board their fishing boat and brought him back to Galway Docks.

The man was taken into the RNLI Galway Lifeboat Station, where he received treatment for symptoms of hypothermia until an ambulance arrived.

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The Olivers rescued cousins Sara Feeney (23) and Ellen Glynn (17) after the women got into difficulty while paddleboarding off Furbo beach, Co Galway, in August. The women had spent more than 15 hours in the water on their paddleboards by the time of their rescue, and had held onto each other overnight.

Alarm raised

In a statement, Galway RNLI said Salthill was busy with swimmers and promenade walkers on Saturday morning and a member of the public had raised the alarm about the swimmer at 10.30am.

“The Irish Coast Guard sought the assistance of Galway Lifeboat, who launched from Galway Docks,” it said. “Two members of the lifeboat shore crew made their way to the promenade to assist in the rescue.”

Deputy Launch Authority Seán Óg Leydon said many people who have taken up sea swimming this year during the Covid-19 lockdown may not realise the dangers of winter swimming.

“The sea is a great resource for us but we have to respect it and our limits. Luckily this swimmer made his way to a place he could rest and wait for assistance,” he said.