Two young men clinging to rocks were plucked to safety from the sea by a helicopter winchman who was being battered by giant waves, writes dailymail.co.uk.

The two men escaped from the rough seas on Thursday afternoon in a dramatic rescue by the HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopter off Hartland Point, Devon.  

The helicopter, based at St Athan, was alerted to the incident just after 3pm after a 999 call reporting two young men clinging to rocks in six-foot waves which could have washed them out to sea.

The rough seas made it impossible for a lifeboat to reach the scene so their only hope was the Coastguard helicopter.

As he was lowered towards the men the winchman was hit by a wave but the skill of the helicopter crew saw the two men rescued in under two minutes.

HM Coastguard helicopter Chief Pilot Olly Padbury said: 'This was a challenging rescue where we only had seconds to spare.

'As we manoeuvred our Winchman towards the two casualties on the rock, he was hit a by a large unsighted wave.

'Recovering quickly he was able to place the strop over the first casualty and he was winched onboard.

'Once he was safely inside we dropped the winch down again and we were able to pull the Winchman and the second casualty up in seconds.

'This rescue is about teamwork and we would like to say a big thank you to Hartland Point Coastguard Rescue Team for their spot on briefing - which saw these two young men rescued successfully.'

The video was shared on Facebook by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency where it has been viewed 28,000 times.  

Speaking after the incident Duncan Ley, Duty Controller for HM Coastguard said: 'This incident could so easily have turned into a really tragic one. If you see someone in difficulty at sea or along the Coast please immediately call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

'If you are going out for a walk along the shore make sure that you check the tide times - you will often see this information at the entry to beaches or check it online - and ensure that you are back in plenty of time.

'Thankfully, this was a rescue that ended really well thanks to the Coastguard helicopter crew and Hartland Point Coastguard Rescue Team.'

The men did not need any medical treatment, the coastguard added.