The man and woman were said to be lucky to be alive – with dramatic images showing how they desperately fought for their lives.
One witness told how the pair, who allegedly had been fishing on rocks, were “washed” away in the village of Staithes, between Whitby and Saltburn-by-the-Sea.
A number of huge waves were said to have been crashing into the North Yorkshire coast on Sunday afternoon making conditions “pretty rough”.
One such breaker was big enough to rise above the sea defences and drag the pair into the water – with them gone in a “moment”.
The witness said: “I noticed these two fishing on the top of the rocks. The next minute a big wave came over and I thought, they had been washed off. They disappeared.
“And then I can see they have been washed into the sea. How they were knocked out I don’t know, they must have been thrown. They didn’t hit the rails. They ended up in the sea.
“I don’t know how they managed to get back to the harbour. The girl was clinging to the rails, hanging on by her fingertips, and the guy was holding on to her.”
The couple eventually managed to scramble to safety.
The witness continued: “The bloke had to hold on so he didn’t get washed off – and he has somehow pulled himself back. He pulled her back to the harbour.”
The witness took the opportunity to warn others how careful they needed to be.
They said: “The sea is not very forgiving. These two are lucky. It’s one of those things.
“If they had been thrown a few more feet, they wouldn’t be here now.
“The sea was really rough – it was the peak of high tide.”
The pair were pictured being escorted from the harbour area and were taken to the village’s lifeboat centre to receive treatment.
