Coastguard Winchman Battered by Waves as He Rescues Men Clinging to Rocks

Two men caught out by the tide off the Devon coast were left clinging to a rock as high waves threatened to wash them out to sea on February 15, in conditions that were described as too dangerous for a lifeboat rescue.According to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, rescuers at the scene were unable to intervene “due to the rough seas,” leaving a helicopter rescue as the only possible option.The footage shows how dangerous a mission it was, with ferocious waves crashing over the stranded men and the winchman trying to reach them.Chief Pilot Olly Padbury said: “This was a challenging rescue where we only had seconds to spare."The two young men were successfully airlifted and, luckily for them, reportedly didn’t require medical treatment. Credit: Maritime & Coastguard Agency via Storyful