Two teenagers were rescued by brave volunteers after becoming caught up in a tempestuous sea and being swept further and further out earlier this week.

At 1.08pm on Wednesday, March 2 two paddleboarders found themselves losing control as they battled the elements in Ardneil Bay near Portencross.

They were being dragged away from land by a strong wind from the east.

Fortunately, members of the public witnessed the paddleboarders' struggles and called 999.

Emergency services were scrambled to the area to try and rescue the stricken seafarers.

Among those sent out to locate them were the Largs RNLI, the Prestwick Coastguard Helicopter, and the Ardrossan Coastguard Rescue team.

After a short passage through challenging conditions, the lifeboat located the first paddleboarder with the help of the helicopter.

As the lifeboat approached, the crew were quickly directed to his companion, who was now in the water a short distance away, holding on to the paddleboard after it had flipped in the wind.

Both were quickly pulled to safety and taken ashore by the volunteer crew and passed into the care of the Ardrossan coastguard team.

Largs RNLI helm Dave Stevens: "I would like to extend my thanks to those who dialled 999 and alerted us to the incident.

"If you are going out on paddleboards, it is always advisable to ensure you have full awareness of the wind and weather conditions before you go.

"The swift actions of our volunteers meant that this was a successful outcome.

"The two were very lucky that people were able to alert the emergency services."