Moment when man is knocked over and almost washed into the sea by a 7.5 meter wave during Storm Ciaran – as critics brand him an ‘idiot’
This is the dramatic moment a man is knocked over by a huge wave during Storm Ciaran and almost washed out to sea.
Dramatic footage recorded last Thursday shows the man looking out over the promenade of Dover’s Marine Parade at the height of the storm, as gusts of 100 miles per hour were recorded.
Seconds later, a colossal 25-foot wave crashes over the shoreline railing and submerges the asphalt beneath it, instantly toppling the man.
The man is then sent flying and thrown onto his back as he is swept away by the powerful current. After a brief struggle, he is able to get back to his feet and escape apparently unscathed.
Commenters responding to the online clip branded the man in the footage an ‘idiot’ and ‘lucky’ to be alive, while others suggested the clip could be included as one of the stunts in ‘Jacka** 5’ .
The man looks out onto the promenade of Dover’s Marine Parade at the height of the storm, before a huge wave crashes over the railing
The wave then plunges onto the asphalt below, instantly knocking the man over and sending him into the air.
He is thrown onto his back and his legs stick out of the water as he is swept away by the powerful current
The video recorded by Tim Smithen, owner of Rebels Coffee Shop on Marine Parade in Dover, shows the tail end of Storm Ciaran.
The father-of-three, 41, said he had never seen waves this high on the Dover coast and said his shop and the man were affected by the storm.
Tim, from Dover in Kent, said: ‘I have never seen such big waves coming over this part of Dover beach.
‘They were so high that the side of our coffee shop was bombed and the facade of the shop was damaged, but fortunately there was no damage inside and the flooding was minimal.
‘The waves that came over were definitely higher than our building.
‘I could not believe it. There were people walking around taking pictures and I thought if these waves knocked you down, they might wipe you out.
“It didn’t seem real when we saw someone get knocked down so badly. Luckily he came around the back of the coffee shop afterwards and I could rest assured that everything was fine.
“He was a young guy and we made sure he was okay and he went away with his friends.
‘I think his friends said he was stupid for being so close to the storm.
The wave then crashes into the wall of a toilet stall on the boulevard, causing the man to disappear from view
As the wave breaks, you see the man quickly get back to his feet
The man then hurriedly walks away from the shore, apparently uninjured
Tim Smithen (pictured), owner of the nearby Rebels Coffee Shop, filmed the shocking incident and made sure the man was okay before leaving with his friends
The damage caused to the building where the man was swept off his feet during Storm Ciaran
‘We could hear and feel the waves hitting the wall of the coffee shop while we were inside. It sounded insanely loud, as if the walls were about to collapse.
“The coffee shop and that man certainly suffered greatly from the storm.”
One social media user commented on the clip: ‘What an idiot, imagine if he had gone there then risk the lives of the RNLI to save him.’ Another said: ‘Jacka** 5 there.’
A third said: ‘Why are people laughing? For example, someone died in Scotland last week.’
Another shocking video from last week’s storm captured huge waves crashing onto two children walking with their father along the seafront in Folkestone, Kent.
The ‘unaware’ father has been criticized online after shocking footage showed waves crashing into his two children, at one point knocking one of them over.
As the huge waves crash against the shore, the two children run ahead, as their father shows little sense of urgency to protect the youngsters.
The children are then drenched by a wave and disappear into the footage – but when they reappear unharmed, the father walks slowly on, seemingly unfazed.
You see the children walking ahead of their father as huge waves crash onto the Folkestone promenade
A huge wave lands on top of the children who get soaked but come out unscathed as their father continues to run after them
As another wave pounds the shore, one of the children is knocked over as they try to escape
You can see the child losing his balance as he tries to get away from the huge waves crashing onto the boardwalk
After safely getting out of the first wave, one of the children is caught off guard by the sheer force of another wave and crashes to the ground.
Once again, the father continues to walk at a normal pace, completely ignoring the fact that his children are falling dangerously close to the sea.
The footage has since gone viral and social media users have branded the parent ‘irresponsible’ and ‘stupid’.
One user said: Why would you ever take your kids there and endanger their lives?’
Another fumed: “How bloody irresponsible.”
A third sarcastically called him ‘father of the year’, while a fourth added: ‘Completely oblivious – this is stupidity at its finest.’
It comes as a rare red warning was in force in Jersey last week after gale-force winds and heavy rain wreaked havoc in southern England and other parts of Britain.
Schools were closed, flights to the mainland canceled and people were forced to leave their homes after being battered by the powerful storms.
More than 340 areas in Britain are under flood watch after the country was battered by winds of 105 miles per hour and up to five inches of rain during yesterday’s storm.