In the wake of last Friday’s tragedy at Sorrento Beach, first and foremost, Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA) extends its sympathies to the family, friends, and loved ones of Greg O’Neill.
As Western Australia’s peak coastal safety authority, SLSWA works closely with major stakeholders to help develop and deliver the WA Government’s Shark Hazard Mitigation Strategy, focusing on lifesaving and surveillance services. This Strategy employs a multifaceted approach and includes multiple, overlapping initiatives, each of which plays a pivotal role.
We know that members of the public are concerned about their safety, and we remain committed to using our available resources to maximise our presence on the beach to help keep beachgoers safe.
In response to the tragic incident at Sorrento Beach, SLSWA has implemented immediate temporary increases to existing services.
Since Monday, our Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopters have moved to daily patrols, both here in the metro area and the south west, and this will continue across the coming school holidays.
We’ve immediately deployed enhanced patrols at Sorrento Beach with dedicated drone surveillance and, starting next Tuesday, 29 September, our professional lifeguard services will operate daily from 6.00 am to 5.00 pm.
Volunteers from the Sorrento Surf Life Saving Club are also bringing forward the commencement of their seasonal patrols and will be on the beach every morning from 8.30 am to 12.30 pm over the coming long weekend.
WA’s volunteer surf lifesavers continue to play a very important role in the safety of WA beach users. With seasonal patrols scheduled to commence in the coming weeks, we thank them for their valued and continued contribution during this difficult time.
Our focus remains on keeping WA’s beaches as safe as possible with the resources available, and we will continue to work with the WA Government to review the current Strategy and longer-term planning.
