Safety & Rescue

Westpac Rescue Helicopter drops in for beach safety lesson

More than 360 students at Marmion Primary School had an extra special session about beach safety on Wednesday, welcoming the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter and its crew to their school oval! Surf Life Saving WA’s Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service provides a free and vital community service to…

Beach helicopter patrols return ahead of summer

Surf Life Saving WA’s (SLSWA) Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service will return to the West Australian coastline today, guarding over beachgoers until April 2025. Last season, between September 2023 and April 2024, the helicopters flew nearly 1,000 hours across 741 patrols over metropolitan and south west beaches. Surf Life…

Shark sightings up as helicopter patrols wind down for the season.

Surf Life Saving WA’s State Government-funded Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service (WLRHS), which operates out of bases in North Fremantle and Busselton, will fly its final patrols today as they finish up for the summer season. Since September 2023, the Service has flown nearly 1,000 hours across more than…

Lifesaving teamwork on display

Receiving a distress call from a member of the public, Kalani, a dedicated SLSWA Lifeguard on duty at Cottesloe Beach recently, sprang into action, going to the aid of a man experiencing chest pains. The patient told Kalani he had experienced a similar but less severe pain some hours earlier,…

Caution urged with beach safety risk higher on Australia Day

With tomorrow’s Australia Day public holiday bringing in a long weekend and expected warm weather, Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA) is urging beachgoers to exercise caution to ensure a safe and enjoyable day at the beach. As of the start of summer, WA has recorded four coastal drowning deaths. SLSWA…

Christmas Day marks 43 years since beach patrols took to the skies over WA

As surf lifesavers gear up to watch over beachgoers this holiday season, the crew of Surf Life Saving WA’s (SLSWA) Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Heli Service will also take to the sky, with Christmas Day marking 43 years since the service first commenced operations. In its first season, the service, based…

Safety Remains a Priority as Abalone Season Opens

Thousands of recreational abalone fishers are expected to descend on inshore reefs this Saturday morning as the first West Coast Zone abalone fishing session of the season has been given the go-ahead. Surf Life Saving WA General Manager Lifesaving Chris Peck praised the behaviours demonstrated by abalone fishers last season,…

Increase in Drowning Deaths Prompts Start of Summer Warnings

With the arrival of summer and rising temperatures likely to see more and more West Australians heading to the beach to cool off, Surf Life Saving WA is issuing a safety warning with coastal drowning deaths on the increase. With the release today of their WA Coastal Safety Report 2023,…