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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.

"This is as much about extreme weather as extreme surfing."

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