- .Mark Hill runs a not-for-profit organisation teaching disabled children to surf
- .After finishing a class he attempted to drive off Towan Beach in Newquay
- .His Land Rover became submerged while his trailer was washed out to sea
- .The trailer was towed back to shore but the Land Rover couldn't be recovered until this morning - and it had already been looted overnight
This is the moment the owner of a surfing company struggled to save his livelihood from being washed out to sea after his trailer was caught by incoming tides on a beach in Cornwall.
Mark Hill, director of Freedom Surf, had left his work truck and trailer on Towan Beach in Newquay while teaching disabled children to surf yesterday afternoon.
But when Mr Hill returned to his vehicle to move it to avoid the incoming tide, he found he couldn't go anywhere because holiday-makers had surrounded his truck and refused to move.
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Holding on tight: Mark Hill can be seen clinging to his trailer by Towan Beach in Newquay after it got caught up in the incoming tide
An RNLI lifeboat and other vessels surround the stranded trailer by Towan Beach in Newquay yesterday
Sticky situation: Mr Hill claims tourists on the beach prevented him from moving his trailer in time to avoid the incoming tide - leaving him with no choice but to detach it from his truck and let it drift out to sea
The crowds made it impossible for him to use the Army-issue sand mats, ladders, winch or anchor, to get his trailer, used for transporting the surfboards for his classes, to safety.
As the incoming tide moved further inland, his Range Rover truck became submerged underneath the water.
And when the trailer began to bob around dangerously on the rising water, he had no choice but to unhook it and let it drift out to sea as he desperately clung on to it.
Fortunately, a passing fishing trawler, the Loyal Partner skippered by Philip Trebilcock, spotted him and managed to hook up the trailer and tow it back in to the harbour.
The RNLI attempted to pull his Land Rover out of the water yesterday afternoon but failed. It had to be left overnight until the low tide came in before it could be pulled back in to shore - but not before looters had ransacked the truck.
Ransacked: Mr Hill's submerged Land Rover which couldn't be recovered until the low tide came in this morning when it had already been looted by snorkelers overnight
Good timing: A passing fishing trawler spots Mr Hill on his trailer as it drifts further and further out to sea
Determined: The fishing vessel and another boat come to Mr Hill's aid as he refuses to let his trailer disappear into the ocean
Mr Hill, 37, said: 'Basically, I was cut off by people, not the tide. I'm not blaming the tourists but I do think people need to be educated on beach awareness.
'People were walking out in front of the truck - you wouldn't do that in the street so why do it on the beach?
'I had to tell one lad to move because he was sat on the bumper. A bit of common sense in these situations goes a long way.
'This was an unfortunate event that could have been avoided.'
Mr Hill had just run a Freedom Surf event at nearby Great Western beach and had pre-warned the lifeguards that he was on his way round to the vehicle exit point on Towan beach.
But as he rounded the corner he spotted hundreds of bathers, who refused to move out of the way.
'Driving on wet sand you have to keep moving or you get stuck, and this is what happened,' said father-of-one Mr Hill.
Rescue: The fishing vessel towed Mr Hill and his trailer in to the harbour in Newquay
Coming ashore: Mr Hill and his trailer pictured being towed towards the shore. Unfortunately the RNLI couldn't move his Land Rover which was also submerged until the tide went out this morning
'People then swarmed around us and we just couldn’t move or get the sand mats down. If I’d tried to use them they can easily shoot out from under the wheels like a torpedo.
'Similarly if I’d tried the ground anchor it could come away and decapitate someone. There was nothing I could do and within 10 minutes we were under water.'
The truck was recovered at low tide in the early hours this morning but not before it had been looted by surfers and snorkelers overnight.
Among the items stolen were wetsuits, tools, clothes and a vintage 1960s surf-board, worth around £600, which was later recovered.
Coastguards helped protect the vehicle late last night after they became aware it was being targeted by looters, who were paddling out on surfboards or snorkelling.
Mr Hill, 37, said: 'They are absolute scumbags. It’s disgusting. Whatever happened to surfers having karma?'
Ordeal: While Mr Hill managed to get his trailer back to shore relatively undamaged, his Land Rover was looted overnight before he had a chance to retrieve it
Some wet suits and equipment were lost, but there was little damage to the trailer. However, Mr Hill’s Land Rover is unlikely to be in as good condition after being fully submerged for several hours.
Mr Hill appealed for donations for Freedom Surf, a not-for-profit project for people with disabilities that is linked to Cornwall Council and the NHS, to replace the damaged goods.
The organisation started in 2006 to teach disadvantaged and disabled youngsters to surf.
'The whole idea of Freedom Surf is that when you are in the water there’s no such thing as a disability,' said Mr Hill. 'Everyone is just having fun together. It’s about social interaction as much as it’s about surfing.'
A surfer for around 16 years, he designed his own specialist equipment, using a couple of disabled friends as 'guinea-pigs' to test it out. He took sign language lessons and other qualifications to help him work with disabled people.
Help at hand: Mr Hill prepares to jump off his trailer as members of RNLI come to assist him to shore
Safe at last: The trailer was safely brought ashore in Newquay yesterday with remarkably little damage after being washed out to sea
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