Two fishermen are safe and well after being washed out to sea by a freak wave at St Monans.
The alarm was raised by a third angler shortly after 3am on Sunday. Emergency services including HM Coastguard, two lifeboats from Anstruther and an ambulance raced to the scene.
When the Anstruther inshore lifeboat reached the men, they had managed to get themselves out of the water and were clinging to a ladder at the breakwater by the pier where they had been fishing.
Coxswain Michael Bruce said: “When the inshore boat got there, they were complaining of injuries to the knees and legs. They got a bit of a battering in the water.”
The men were taken by lifeboat from the breakwater to the old boatyard slipway, where an ambulance was waiting.
They were taken to hospital for a check over but are understood to have escaped serious injury.
However, they were suffering as a result of near freezing temperatures and were “quite shaken”.
Bad weather and darkness made conditions difficult for the rescue. The all-weather lifeboat was carefully positioned so it could be used to light the scene.
Mr Bruce said: “In what were very challenging conditions for every member of my team the professionalism and commitment to see the rescue come to a safe and successful conclusion was clearly visible from the moment we launched.”
Similar incidents have ended in tragedy.
Almost exactly two years ago, night fisherman Fraser Carrington, from Fife, died after being swept out to sea in the Mearns. Again it happened at around 3am.
The coastguard said sea conditions had been “exceedingly rough” at the time of the tragedy.
Mr Bruce, who is himself a commercial fisherman, said the men at St Monans were lucky to be alive.
“It could have been so different,” he said.“Conditions like that are actually the best time to fish. That’s when they catch the best fish.
“But people must be aware that weather conditions can change very quickly.
“Care must always be taken when participating in any kind of activity on the shoreline especially in weather conditions like we have all been experiencing lately and more so in the hours of darkness.”