Man swept to his death by 'rogue wave' in Cornwall

An angler was swept to his death off rocks by a "rogue wave", an inquest has been told.

Tyler Westlake, 24, was fishing with two friends at Tubby's Head, St Agnes, on the north Cornwall coast, last November when the incident happened.

His friends were also struck by the wave as they packed up fishing gear but managed to scramble to safety, the hearing in Truro was told.

Senior coroner Andrew Cox recorded a conclusion of accidental death.

The tragedy happened as the UK was battered by torrential rain and thunderstorms, the inquest was told.

Mr Westlake's best friend, Charlton Cunningham, said they had checked the tide times, wind and swell before setting off on 12 November.

He said the wind did not drop so they started to pack up when a large wave crashed over them.

Mr Cunningham's girlfriend, Hannah Davey, said they were hit by a "rogue wave" at the spot, where they regularly went to as a "safe place to fish", adding that "Tyler was a strong swimmer".

Mr Westlake was swept into the sea and then smashed by another wave, disappearing in the water, the inquest heard.

Mr Cox heard the pair did not see Mr Westlake go into the sea, but saw and heard him shouting for help.

They said he removed his coat and lay on his back in the sea "to preserve energy", but the second wave struck and "swept him under".

Four lifeboats, three coastguard teams, a helicopter and police searched for him and recovered some of Mr Westlake's possessions from the sea.

However, his body was never found despite 45 hours of searching.

Mr Cox concluded it was an accidental death, saying: "Tyler was hit by a wave which swept him into the sea and he was not able to be recovered."

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].