Surf Life Saving WA says shark sightings up by 60 per cent in bumper season

If it felt like shark sightings had risen during summer, Surf Life Saving WA has revealed “the increase in shark activity across the metropolitan area was significant”.

As the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service prepares to fly its final patrols on Wednesday, SLSWA has revealed more than 430 shark occurrences were tallied last summer.

After almost 1000 hours of service across more than 740 patrols since September 2023, shark activity is up more than 60 per cent as a combination of individual and group sightings.

Alarmingly, the total number of sharks spotted increased by a staggering 185 per cent.

Aligning with the surge was the number of times beach users were asked to leave the water — an increase of more than 70 per cent.

On Tuesday, the State Government announced ongoing funding for their Shark Mitigation Strategy, which included $12.6 million allocated to the Westpac chopper, SLSWA’s emergency communications network, as well as other emergency response activity for a further four years.

Surf Life Saving WA’s General Manager of Lifesaving Chris Peck suggested the figures underscored the importance of continuing to invest in the safety of beachgoers.

“While in WA we are blessed with so many accessible beaches, it does provide a challenge when it comes to helping keep beachgoers safe”, Mr Peck said.

“That is why the Services’ unrivalled ability to cover vast expanses of coast in a relatively short period of time makes it such a vital piece of coastal safety initiatives and the state government’s shark mitigation strategy.

“While we saw a large increase in shark numbers and sightings, equally important is the increase in clearances by our crew, demonstrating how instrumental the Service is in keeping beachgoers safe.”

Additional to patrolling our shores, SLSWA assisted on 27 search and rescue missions across the metro area and South West.

While some services remain active at popular metro beaches, volunteer lifeguards have finished up across the State with the exception of Broome Surf Life Saving Club — beginning its patrol of Cable Beach for its tourism high season.

SLSWA said the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter patrols will return in September 2024 and volunteer Lifesaver patrols from October.