These incredible photographs capture the moment a man and a young boy huddle desperately against a sea-lashed rock-face as 30ft waves sweep over them.
The pictures were taken by a concerned passer-by who spotted the reckless pair on Pulpit Rock, a sea stack on the Isle of Portland off the south Dorset coast. The rock is one of the most memorable features of the island's coast, located just off a popular coastal path.
The pair - who are believed to be father and son - narrowly escaped being swept into the water, taking shelter from the fierce storm against the rock-face. In one shot, the man holds the boy to his side and cries out in distress as they are nearly obscured by sea spray. They were eventually able to escape unscathed.
A Portland coastguard warned walkers to heed official advice to stay away from the water during sea storms, telling the Daily Mail: "Had the pair been struck directly by a wave they would have been washed away."
No better proof is needed of the sheer force of the sea than the fate which befell one of the island's other rock formations. A sea stack known as Pom-Pom Rock, which weighed hundreds of tonnes, was dashed into pieces last month by the battering waves.
A spokeswoman for the Portland Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre told the Dorset Echo: "We ask the public to remain on alert and mindful of the dangers and stay away from cliff edges, coastal paths and harbour and sea walls... Large waves can take people by surprise."
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