A man was punched in the face by a father after warning him not to take his young family boogie boarding in the sea during storm Austen's 80mph winds.
Footage shows a dad leading his family all dressed in wetsuits on to Polzeath Beach in Cornwall and heading towards the sea with boogie boards.
A man, who a witness believed was urging the dad not to take his family into the sea during the a strong storm, is then punched once to the head.
Despite the beach being 'red-flagged' by the RNLI last Friday because it was directly in the path of Storm Austen, the father seemed intent on taking his family out into the waves.
Asking not to be named, the witness told Cornwall Live: 'I was just at Polzeath Beach and witnessed a family with young children enter the red-flagged beach.
'A passer-by then approached them and the father of the family proceeded to punch him in the face.
'The passer-by walked off after the altercation and a few minutes after the lifeguards on the beach asked the family to leave.
'We were sat having a coffee and watched the family with very young-looking kids heading down to the water's edge, battling with their boogie boards.
Seconds before the dad in the red and black wet suit lands a punch on the man speaking to him
After throwing the punch the father is asked to leave the beach with his family by the RNLI
Port Gaverne beach a few miles from Polzeath Beach in Cornwall which was battered by storms
'We thought they must be crazy going in as the swell and sea state was so rough, not to mention the 50mph winds.
'After a couple of minutes of being in the water, a passer-by walked to the water's edge. We assumed they were suggesting it wasn't safe.
'Before long, the dad in the water sprinted out and started confronting the passer-by, who was obviously concerned for the family's safety.
'The dad then got very close to the passer-by and put his fists up. Before we could start recording, he punched him.
'The passer-by didn't seem to take the bait and shrugged it off.'
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed the incident was not reported to them.
The footage which was posted onto Facebook has been watched thousands of times.
Jason Davison who watched the footage said: 'The passerby saved them from a possible headline in a newspaper.
'I’m just confused the parent wanted to fight the man who was giving them safety advice?
Roger Gorst added: 'If you enter the sea in these conditions, not only are you putting yourself but also rescuers lives at risk.'
Do you know anyone involved? Email cameron.charters@mailonsunday.co.uk