THE RNLI lifeguards have reflected on one of the lifeguards’ busiest summers yet.

Sandymouth, the furthest north of Bude’s lifeguarded beaches, has had an exciting summer. Lifeguards James Castell and Jowen Bartrop were first on scene when a surfer got stuck to the north of the rocks at Sandymouth.

The surfer had been able to paddle to the shore, but was cut off by the big incoming tide. They called for the support of Bude Lifeboat and Bude Coastguard, who in turn requested the 924 Search and Rescue helicopter. The helicopter successfully winched the surfer from the foot of the cliff to safety.

Northcott lifeguards were also kept busy through the peak summer period. Senior lifeguard, Sammy Bennett, rescued a kayaker who had got into trouble at high tide amongst the rocks. Sam used a rescue board to assist the kayaker and his kayak safely back onto the shore.

Crooklets, the smaller of the two town beaches, has been extremely dangerous at low tide with very strong rip currents. Lifeguard, Stephen Muller, carried out a rescue of a family of three at this low tide stage. As the family entered the water, lifeguards advised them not to take their feet off the floor because of the rip currents, but they all chose to ignore the safety advice and all three subsequently required rescuing.

Summerleaze, one of the biggest and therefore busiest beaches in the Bude area, has had the highest number of rescues this season. Relief senior lifeguard, Dan Gow, carried out a rescue in the river on the southern side of the beach at mid tide. With the help of a local surfer, he rescued three adults, all of which were classed as ‘lives saved’. If Dan had not been able to respond so rapidly, the outcome could have been catastrophic.

In another incident, lifeguards Jack Davies and Alfie Bolitho dealt with a woman with a suspected spinal injury. They treated her before handing over to paramedics, who took the casualty by ambulance to hospital.

Summerleaze and Crooklets lifeguards have been working together very closely throughout the season. Crooklets lifeguard, Ella Henwood, and Summerleaze lifeguard, Dean Henwood, were on water patrol on the rescue water craft when they successfully picked up a young child out of his depth and struggling to keep his head above water. This rescue was also classified as a ‘life saved’.

In a separate incident, Summerleaze senior Mini Fry and Crooklets lifeguard Tremaine Fry were tasked by the coastguard to assist walkers cut off by the tide. They drove the rescue water craft to the north of Wrangles rocks, where they waited for Bude Lifeboat to come and assist in bringing three people and two dogs back to safety on the beach.

Widemouth, another of the busiest beaches in the area, has dealt with a number of first aids and rescues. Lifeguard Zane Rademaker helped a heavily pregnant woman who was suffering from mild hypothermia. Because of her advanced stage of pregnancy, extra care had to be taken to ensure she and her unborn baby were both okay.

On the same day, lifeguard Lewis Putt assisted a visitor suffering from an asthma attack. The member of the public was taken to hospital because of the severity of the attack.

Widemouth is a very popular surfing beach, and many of the rescues have involved surfers floating out of their depth and away from the black and white chequered flag area, the designated safest place for hard surf craft.

Blackrock lifeguards Ben Wilson and Richie Heard have been working hard on the beach. During unseasonably strong winds, a large number of sea birds have been washing up injured. The boys have been collecting them and sending them to the vets for further treatment before they are released back into the wild.

Crackington is one of the smallest beaches lifeguards patrol, but has still seen a lot of visitors. Towards the end of the season, relief senior Billy Roberts and lifeguard Abby French assisted a young boy having a seizure in the sand. They were able to secure an airway and make the boy safe, while they waited for assistance from the air ambulance.

This summer the lifeguards from Crackington to Sandymouth have carried out over 200 rescues. The main lifeguard season ended on Sunday, October 1.