How Bude’s lifeguards closed the summer with a cold dip at Crooklets

There’s only one way Bude’s lifeguards know how to close out a long stretch of red and yellow flags, and it starts with a run into the cold sea. As the rescues, the sunburn warnings and the long shifts of another summer wound down, the whole team gathered at Crooklets for its annual end-of-season send-off.

A brisk dip before the awards came out

Peak season traditionally ends the same way for Bude RNLI Lifeguards, and this year was no different. Things kicked off with a brisk Speedo dip in the sea, before the team warmed up properly with food, drinks and the annual awards, handed out to mark the standouts of the season.

The cafes that kept them going

None of it happens without the businesses along the seafront who backed the team all summer, the lifeguards said. Thanks went to Nick, Kath and Kitty at Crooklets Cafe, and to Helen and the crews at Sandymouth Cafe, Black Rock Cafe and Sip n Sea, whose support kept the team fed and watered through the long days on the sand. A shoutout also went to the local surf schools and shops around Bude, credited with helping spread beach safety messages to visitors every single day.

Another season of long days and close calls

The bash was as much a thank you to the wider patch of coast as it was to the lifeguards themselves. As the team put it, the season behind them meant long days, tricky conditions, rescues, preventions, and keeping the beaches safe, all over again. The dip is done for another year. The recovery starts now.

📷Bude's lifeguard team at Crooklets for their end-of-season photo. Credit: Bude RNLI Lifeguards