Five beachgoers have been rescued from dangerous rip currents at two North Cornwall beaches by local surf lifesaving heroes on their training night. The five members of the public had been enjoying the beach as the sun set over Crooklets and Summerleaze beaches in Bude when they got caught out in the rip currents and found themselves in difficulty.
The rescue happened after 7.30pm on Tuesday, July 30, some 90 minutes after the RNLI lifeguard coverage had ended for the day. Members of the town's surf lifesaving club had been out training when they were alerted to the people in difficulty and sprung into action.
A spokesman for the club said that towards the end of the club's training session, two members were first alerted by a member of the public to a surfer in difficulty at Crooklets.
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He said: "Fortunately they were paddling rescue boards at the time and quickly made their way over to assist. Whilst assisting the surfer back to shore, they spotted a second casualty making little to no headway swimming against a rip current, desperately attempting to return to shore. The casualty was assisted onto a second rescue board and paddled to safety."
Shortly after that, the club was alerted to another incident around the corner at Summerleaze where four people were in difficulty. The club said its members entered the water with two rescue boards.
The club spokesman said: "The furthest casualties were approximately 75m beyond the surf line and were being assisted by local surfers. Both were panicking and in an obvious state of distress. Fortunately, the remaining two were able to make their own way back to shore.
"All four casualties were advised to attend a local hospital after it was suspected they had ingested an alarming amount of water. Contact was also made with the operations room at Falmouth Coastguard which led to the prompt launch of Bude Lifeboat."
He added: "The quick and decisive actions of our members, local surfers, Bude RNLI Lifeboat and Coastguard Rescue Team meant that all four casualties were able to return home to their families. Vigilance and Service is, and will continue to be at the core of who we are and what we do.
"The continuous hard work and dedication of our members to train, educate and better themselves in surf life saving has on this occasion made the difference."
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