- Tourist was knocked over during heavy waves on East Pier in Whitby
This is the moment an ‘idiot’ tourist taking a selfie on top of a stone pier was blindsided by a colossal wave that washed over the wall – as the coastguard issued a warning that no photo was worth dying for during storm Ciaran.
The warning has been issued after a number of people armed with mobile phones to take selfies were spotted strolling along the East Pier in Whitby, North Yorkshire.
A video shared on social media captured the moment a woman, branded an ‘idiot’ behind the camera, was caught off guard by a treacherous wave on Sunday.
In the footage, she is knocked to the ground by the force of the wave and scrambles to her feet just in time to avoid being swept away into the cauldron-like sea.
Seconds later, she begins to hurriedly walk back along the pier to safety, soaked from head to toe.
This is the moment an ‘idiot’ tourist taking a selfie on top of a stone pier was caught off guard by a colossal wave that washed over the wall of the East Pier in Whitby, North Yorkshire, on Tuesday.
Steve Hart, HM Coastguard senior operations officer, said: ‘Our advice is: if there is a storm warning in place and if you don’t need to travel, just stay indoors.
“It’s not worth risking your life for a photo or a selfie, and it’s not worth risking the lives of our volunteers who may have to perform a rescue and pull you out of the water.
‘The weather will be bad in the coming days.
‘If you don’t need to travel or go to the coast, just stay indoors.
“Stay away from the water’s edge and stay away from floodwaters.
“It only takes 30 centimeters to make a car float, and to make yourself float away.”
The east pier was closed on Tuesday after several incidents involving the public, including children.
Another video shared on X, formerly Twitter, by The Whitby Photographer shows the woman walking on the pier having been knocked down twice.
Several people, including young children, can also be seen walking along the pier before the coastguard swooped in on Sunday to rescue them from the dangerous waves.
Another video shared by The Whitby Photographer on
In response to a commenter who said it would be ‘exciting’ to be so close to the waves, the photographer said: ‘There are times when you can (watch the waves), with relatively little risk.
‘Sunday was not that day, the girl was knocked over twice and landed inches from the edge of the wall, while just 10 miles away two people were swept off Staithes Pier into the sea. the parties involved who initially found it ‘exciting’.’
With Storm Ciarán expected to bring more bad weather, people are being warned to stay away from the waterfront.
In South Tyneside, people are also being warned to stay away from the edge of a section of cliffs at Marsden Bay after heavy rain caused parts of the cliff face to collapse.