An extensive sea search for a missing Polish sea angler had to be scaled back off the Co Clare coastline near Kilkee yesterday when worsening weather forced rescue units to take shelter.
The Irish Coast Guard's Shannon-based Sikorsky helicopter undertook an aerial search at low tide at 5pm for the missing man, who has been named as Piotr Bedzlowicz (35) from Laskowice in northern Poland.
Mr Bedzlowicz had been angling off rocks with a friend on Sunday afternoon when a wave swept both men into the sea. Mr Bedzlowicz's friend was washed back onshore within minutes and managed to scramble up to safety and raise the alarm.
The incident occurred at Tullig point near Kilkee, and the subsequent search has involved the Aran and Fenit RNLI offshore lifeboats, the Kilkee and Doolin Coast Guard units, Kilkee rescue service, the Shannon helicopter and up to 40 sub-aqua divers.
However, a force eight westerly gale yesterday evening and poor visibility made search conditions very difficult, according to Ger O'Donnell of Fenit lifeboat.
Tullig point is not regarded as a well-known sea angling area, and Kilrush gardaí and the Fenit lifeboat said the Polish men may not have been fully aware of the hazards of the Atlantic coastline - and of the fact that, in worsening weather, the chances of catching any fish are slim.
"Over the last 12 months we have seen people sea angling in locations where you wouldn't see locals, and perhaps they aren't aware of the localised conditions and the effects of big Atlantic swells," Mr O'Donnell said. "When trying to fish off rocks, one always has to overcompensate in relation to position, and it is best to stand well back and at a height."
The missing man's family in Poland has been informed, and yesterday Minister of State for Transport Pat the Cope Gallagher said the priority would be to continue the search and ensure every effort was being made.
He said he didn't believe language to be a major barrier in relation to water safety, but said it was an issue that he would be discussing with his officials and the Irish Coast Guard.
Last April a Dublin man was swept into the sea while sea angling at Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry, and this incident was also said to involve a "freak wave". However, Prof Mike Williams of NUI Galway said rogue or freak waves were more likely to occur in single circumstances out in the ocean in the middle of a storm.
"It only takes the slightest deviation in the forcing wind direction to throw a wave off by a few feet and change its character," Prof Williams said. "These may be called freak waves but they don't have to be much bigger to have a devastating impact," he said. Parts of the coastline facing directly into the primary swell were most likely to be the most exposed - such as the north Clare coast and the Aran islands.