By BETH HALE
Beneath a towering wall of water two surfers lay waiting like tiny dots in the dark swell.
It's the kind of contest between man and the elements normally associated with the enormous waves of Hawaii or Australia.
But with the lights of shore just flickering through grey skies this is Penzance, in Cornwall, where stormy weather has created 50ft waves.
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Braving the elements: Two surfers (circled) off Penzance prepare to surf the wave
Heavy rain and gale force winds have taken a heavy toll on parts of Britain, but for surfers Lee William and Charlie Thompson, both 21, it was a perfect excuse to head for the sea.
Photography student Jacob Cockle, 22, was there to watch as his friends did battle with the waves.
"Penzance never gets waves like this," he said. "No-one here has ever seen anything like it.
"I was out there for ages watching the surfers. It is so unusual. Other parts of Cornwall are used to big waves - but nothing like this has ever been seen before.
"This is as much about extreme weather as extreme surfing."
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The surfer stands no chance of riding the wave as the foaming white surf closes in. He is seen being violently tossed in the air as it crashes in over him. Incredibly, he managed to avoid injury. The other surfer is nowhere to be seen
As for his friends, a little battered after being wiped out by the might wall of water.
He said: "They loved it. They're crazy. They were really up for it - it was pure fun and games."
Elsewhere ferocious seas have had a more a serious impact.
A brave lifeboat crew in Devon battled five-metre swells to rescue a group of sailors from a stricken cargo ship that was listing perilously in wind-battered waters on Sunday night.
The 300-ft Greek-registered Ice Prince was carrying 5,258 tonnes of timber across the English Channel when it began to list in force eight gales.
Amid fears it would capsize, twelve crewmen were airlifted off the 6,395 tonne vessel by helicopter and the remaining eight was picked up by lifeboats from Torbay.
Coastguards said the rescue mission was their "most difficult rescue ever."
They faced the daunting task of pulling their 55ft vessel alongside the 300ft-long cargo ship as it was violently tossed around by the waves.
Coxswain Mark Criddle said: "The two coming together was a huge problem, we were only going to come off second best.
"Boats don't come with handbrakes and one minute we would be right alongside calling for the crew to jump, the next minute we are five metres below them.
"Some of them really didn't want to leave the mothership for this tiny lifeboat pitching and rolling in the sea."
The Ice Prince was heading for Alexandria in Egypt when it got into trouble on Sunday evening, just 35 miles from Branscombe Beach in Devon, where the MSC Napoli ran aground last January.
Yesterday experts were assessing whether they could tow the craft to safety. If it sinks, carrying oil, it could lead to an environmental disaster.
Unfortunately the battering from the elements is showing no sign of abating.
Parts of the country have already seen flooding. Worcester Cricket Club is awash, with only a sign reading 'keep off the grass' peeking above the water line.
Up to an inch-and-a-half of rain could fall in the worst hit parts of the western of the country today, where fears of a repeat of last summer's crisis are growing.
The Environment Agency has put flood warnings in place at the River Severn between Worcester and Tewkesbury and from Tewkesbury to upstream of Gloucester.
Meanwhile, emergency services and councils are on stand-by and getting prepared for the worst.
A Met Office spokesman said the wet weather was the result of bands of low pressure sweeping in from the Atlantic.
While the whole of the western side of the country will bear the brunt today, it is forecast to be wet everywhere with a string of severe weather warnings in force.
While the rainfall will not be at the highs of the summer, ground is already water-logged, increasing the flood risk.
Compounding the miserable day will be severe gale force winds of up to 60mph battering the east.
Strong winds are forecast overnight into Wednesday. Rain in the north and east should clear by the afternoon.
Thursday and Friday are forecast to bring further bands of rain. Perhaps the only bright spot is that temperatures are expected to remain a few degrees above the seasonal norm of around 6-7C (43-45f).
The waves exist in higher numbers than anyone expected 
.
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