WITH the mercury set to rise as high as 28 degrees in Bunbury on the weekend, Surf Life Saving WA is urging beach goers to take extra care when entering the water.
Surf Life Saving WA chief exectuive Paul Andrew warned that most beaches would not be patrolled this weekend as surf lifesaving clubs do not start patrols until October, so people needed to take responsibility for their own safety.
“The only beaches being patrolled this month are City Beach (by lifeguards) and Scarborough and Trigg (by City of Stirling Beach Inspectors),” he said.
“Surf Life Saving WA’s metropolitan Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter is also conducting weekend patrols in September.”
Members of the Surf Life Saving WA’s Wesfarmers Lifesaver Jet Ski Teams will also be deployed at Scarborough and Trigg beaches on Saturday and Sunday, and at North Cottesloe on Saturday morning between 8am and 10am.
“With Saturday’s temperature expected to top 30 degrees in Perth and reach the high 20s in the South West we expect large numbers of people to head to the beach,” Mr Andrew said. “Unfortunately history tells us that spring can be a treacherous time along our coast so we urge caution and common sense.
“And while the mercury is forecast to drop on Sunday the swell is predicted to rise, so beach-goers will need to take that into account.”
Seventeen people drowned along the WA coast in 2013/14 and Mr Andrew said he did not want to see a repeat of that this year.
Mr Andrew said there were some simple precautions beachgoers could take to stay safe.
- Never swim alone
- Assess the conditions – be watchful for rips and large swells
- Be realistic about your swimming capabilities, especially if venturing back into the ocean for the first time since last summer
- Don’t drink alcohol and swim
“Although the volunteer surf lifesavers aren’t back on the beach until October there’s plenty of coastal safety information available on our website and Twitter feed to help beach-goers make informed decisions,” Mr Andrew said.
Visit www.slswa.com.au/beachsafe for coastal safety tips, download the Beachsafe App to check your local beach before visiting, and head to SLSWA’s Twitter account @slswa for up-to-the-minute coastal updates.
