Bloody hell mate, you were lucky.
I lost an uncle and cousin in the same circumstances back in 99.
A completely out of the blue freak wave swept my little cousin out to sea, my uncle went right in after him but just couldn't reach him as they were being dragged out very quickly......sadly neither came back.
Im always very wary with the sea now, i love water but i show it a lot of respect.
Glad your training kicked in and you both got out safely.