A shocked angler today relived the chilling moment his fishing pal was swept to his death off Redcar despite his frantic rescue bid.
 Stewart Simpson had been dragged into the wind-lashed sea by a rogue wave and friend Mark Noble (pictured above) tried to throw him a lifebelt as he was pulled towards the dangerous surf. The rope on the belt was too short to reach him and father-of-three Mr Simpson drifted in turbulent seas with only a survival suit keeping him afloat. As he reached the shore, he was tossed around by heavy surf - an ordeal which, Mr Noble fears, ultimately claimed his life. Mr Noble, 43, of Laburnum Road, Redcar, was fishing with youngest son Philip, 14, and close friend Mr Simpson on Sunday afternoon when the tragedy occurred. Having fished from the same spot countless times over the years, the trio were enjoying a good afternoon, despite the weather closing in. Mr Noble said they watched the weather and wave patterns closely and, with the tide receding, Mr Simpson alone decided to move nearer to the end of the gare to get a better fishing position. But as he crouched to sort out his gear, a wave crashed over, hit the wall and, on its way back, caused him to lose his footing and fall into the sea. Mr Noble said: "I was shouting to him in the water and he responded. He zipped up his survival suit and put the hood up, as you're told to do. "It was a dodgy situation, but he was doing everything right and was conscious." But when Mr Noble tried to throw the lifebelt, he was horrified to find the rope attached to it was too short to reach his stricken pal. He said: "I was told a lifebelt in the water moves five times faster than a body, so if I could have thrown it out far enough, it would have caught up with him, but the rope was only about 30ft long and it needed double that. "If I'd been able to get it to him, we might have been able to pull him into the side before he reached the surf." With the lifebelt not an option, Mr Noble says he ran to the shore and, with police, waded in to try to reach his friend. "He was OK until he reached the surf near the shore. I went in for him with the police but by the time we reached him, he was upside down. "I got hold of him but couldn't drag him out of the surf - the waves were going over the top of us. "He did everything right, he had all the gear on, but it was just those last few minutes of surf when obviously there is no control. I don't know how many times the waves were breaking over us." He paid tribute to the doting dad who he described as "the sort of person everyone turned to for friendship and advice". He said: "Everyone liked Stew. He was down-to-earth, someone you could rely on." Mr Simpson, 41, of Kirkstone Grove, Redcar, was given first aid on the shore and was airlifted to James Cook University Hospital, where he later died. He leaves a wife, Joanne, daughters Reanne and Charlotte and son Callum. Mr Noble also paid tribute to the emergency services for their part in the rescue effort. | 
