Overview
- HM Coastguard stood down offshore operations at 5pm on Christmas Day after extensive sea and shoreline searches, with Devon and Cornwall Police continuing work on land.
- Family tributes named the missing 63-year-old as antiques dealer Matthew Upham, with friends and public figures, including Kate Bush, expressing grief.
- Eyewitnesses reported 6ft swells and gusts up to 65mph under a Met Office yellow wind warning, conditions officials say posed severe risks to swimmers and rescuers.
- Survivor Mike Brown said two bystanders pulled him from the surf and called entering the water a mistake given the treacherous sea state.
- Reports suggest a man in his 40s may have tried to help Mr Upham before going missing, a detail not confirmed by police, and the RNLI lifeboat seen offshore was on exercise but responded to the emergency.