Two 17-year-old male students at Atlantic College, Llantwit Major, were rescued by helicopter from the cliff stack forming Church Arch in Church Door Bay, Skrinkle Haven, near Manorbier, on Saturday afternoon.
Earlier in the day, a group of 15 students and three supervising staff from the college had left Lydstep in canoes and kayaks and landed at Church Door Bay to enjoy some water sport activity.
Unknown to the supervising staff, two of the male students climbed the cliff stack promontory, which gives the local name of the area.
Having climbed the 80 feet to the arch, they found the top was very friable and overgrown with gorse and blackthorn and their position very precarious. The situation was brought to the attention of the staff leading the group who raised the alarm with the coastguard co-ordination centre at Milford Haven via the 999 system.
It was decided that the safest course of action would be to call in the RAF rescue helicopter, Rescue 169, from RAF Chivenor, which had just completed a previous call to Boscastle in Cornwall. A skilful flying and winching operation by the helicopter crew secured and recovered the two teenagers, who were landed at the cliff top to be checked over by ambulance paramedics.
After a de-brief with the coastguard, the suitably subdued and now wiser pair were given back into the charge of the college staff.