Bude Sea Pool’s Big Float bids for a Bank Holiday record

Bude Sea Pool has held swimming galas, dips for charity and more sunrise sessions than anyone could count, but it has never tried to fit quite this many people in at once. On the last Bank Holiday Monday of the summer, the pool is going for its biggest single crowd of floaters yet, and everyone is invited to help fill it.

What’s planned for the day

The record attempt takes place at Bude on Monday 31 August, run jointly by Bude RNLI Lifeboat, Bude Surf Life Saving Club and the team at Bude Sea Pool. The day is split into two parts. From 11am to midday there are practice sessions, giving everyone a chance to get in, find their float and get comfortable before the main event. Then at exactly 12pm comes the Big Float itself, the moment organisers hope will turn into the fullest the pool has ever looked.

People can drop in at any point during the morning, but the one rule that matters is timing. Everyone taking part needs to be in the water by 12 o’clock sharp for the float to count.

Who’s behind it

Bude RNLI Lifeboat is leading the push, working alongside Bude Surf Life Saving Club, Britain’s first surf life saving club, and the volunteers who run Bude Sea Pool itself. The pairing makes sense. Both the RNLI and the SLSC already use the pool’s calm, tide-fed water for training and exams, and the Big Float doubles as a chance to talk water safety alongside the fun.

Framed as much around community and a shared laugh as it is around any official record book, the event is a low-key excuse to get as many people floating together as the pool will hold.

So how full can Bude Sea Pool actually get? On Monday 31 August, from midday, everyone will find out together.

📷Credit: Bude RNLI Lifeboat