A FISHERMAN said the thought of his son kept him alive as he was tossed around in four metre-high waves after being swept out to sea.

Michael Soley, from Darlington, thanked RNLI volunteers for saving his life after he was swept into icy waters off the South Gare at Redcar on Saturday.

He battled to stay afloat in huge waves and strong currents for about half an hour before being found, barely conscious, by volunteer lifeboat crews.

Mr Soley, who is still recovering in James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, said: "I was on the pier with my dad and brother, and we hadn't even started fishing. I was just turning around when I heard a big thud, and this huge wave came over and swept us all off our feet. The others managed to grab hold of something but I couldn't and so I was swept off.

"It just seemed to come out of the blue. All that was going through my mind was that I had to keep myself afloat, even with these waves crashing over my head.

"I was just panicking, but trying to stay above the waves and it was a fight just to stay afloat."

He said the tide pulled him from the South Gare towards Redcar shoreline, but then started pulling him out to sea again.

Fighting back tears, Mr Soley added: "I was just laid on my back at one point, looking up at the sky, and I felt my eyes starting to close. I was thinking about my son, who is eight.

"I am just very very grateful to the lifeboat crews. I owe my life to them and I can't thank them enough. They were brilliant."

The Hartlepool inshore lifeboat and the Redcar RNLI lifeboat were launched to rescue Mr Soley at about 3.40pm on Saturday.

Dave Cocks, lifeboat operations manager at Redcar RNLI, said he had been lucky to survive the 30 minutes he spent in the sea.

"The sea is at its coldest at this time of year," he said. "Added to the spring tides and a strong north wind, the conditions were treacherous. The sea is about five degrees celcius and when you fall in it is usually a matter of minutes. He had quite a few layers of clothing on which helped but he is still very lucky."