A man who survived two days on the rugged West Coast, has described chaotic scenes on the fishing boat before he was forced to abandon it.

The search is continuing for two unaccounted crew members Jay Cairney and Kieran Lynch, missing after the Gremouth based fishing boat Wendy J struck trouble in heavy seas on Thursday night.

Westfleet General Manager John Brown believes a cray-pot rope got wrapped around the boat's propeller and stalled the engine.

The boat then floundered in the stormy weather..

One man, Mark Thomas, was swept into the sea, but managed to grab a life ring and get to a rocky cove near Jackson Bay.

He spent the next two days sheltering in a flax bush in just tee shirt and shorts before being found.

The searches Incident Controller Jayne Bretherton said they still want to find the men alive.

"But I guess we are into day five now so those hopes are diminishing, certainly if they are still in the water then the prospects aren't good."

Two fishing nets have been found on the shoreline.