Appeal for family swept out to sea at Newquay

Rudy and Lisinda Bruynius were swept out to sea on Friday along with their two-year old daughter

An appeal has been set up to help the family of a man who died after he was swept into the sea by a large wave.

Rudy Bruynius' two-year old daughter Mckayla is in a serious condition after the family was knocked off rocks at the beach while holidaying in Newquay.

Friends are now raising money to help Mr Bruynius' widow Lisinda and the couple's three children.

His death came on a weekend of fatalities off the coast of the UK amid stormy conditions.

• A mother and son died in the sea off Aberdeen

• A windsurfer died after getting into difficulty off the Essex coast

• A swimmer died in rough seas off the Dorset coast

• A woman died in hospital after she was rescued from the sea off Jersey

'Pray for her'

A friend of the Bruynius family, Madelein Jansen Van Noordwyk, has set up a crowdfunding page, which has already raised more than £13,000.

On the JustGiving site, Lisinda Bruynius said her daughter Mckayla had been moved from the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro to the Bristol Children's Hospital. The two-year old's condition was stable during the ambulance journey.

Mrs Bruynius wrote: "Pls continue to pray for my miracle baby...for her to pull through.

"As they can't give me a certain indication of how much brain damage occurred during her time in the water."

The family, from Surrey, were swept out to sea at South Fistral Beach at 17:20 BST on Friday.

The RNLI sea scooter was used to rescue the victim's wife

An RNLI sea scooter was used to rescue Mrs Bruynius, while a lifeboat was deployed to recover Mr Bruynius and Mckayla. They were flown to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Police said two other children managed to get back on to the rocks and were located by the coastguard. Mrs Bruynius received hospital treatment for minor injuries.

The RNLI said the sea conditions changed considerably between 16:00 and 17:30 and crews were called to three rescues.

James Instance from Falmouth Coastguard said: "At about 16:00 BST, there were normal conditions.

"By 17:00, the swell had picked up to eight to 10ft and that massive increase in such a short period has caught quite a few people unawares."

Mr Instance warned people to take extra care near the coast.

"What should be an enjoyable experience could so easily take a traumatic turn," he said.

"Please do listen to warnings and stay at a safe distance from the water."

Visitors to the UK coastline have been urged to stay away from areas where surging waves could sweep people off their feet and to be careful of tides, as strong wind conditions mean the sea could reach higher levels than expected.