Surf Lifesaving & safe beaches
WA has the longest coastline in Australia spanning 10,194 km’s, with around 3,500 beaches. Major beaches are patrolled by Surf Life Savers as Surf Lifesaving is so crucial for the safety of those using our popular beaches in WA. Thousands of volunteers take the time to train and man the stations at surf lifesaving clubs along our beautiful coast.
If you are keen to give surf lifesaving a go whilst building your beach confidence, being active outdoors and meeting new people then you should consider Surf Lifesaving WA.
Kids from just 5 years old can learn surf awareness with the Nippers program.
Patrolled Beaches
Here are the beaches that have patrols by qualified surf lifesavers. Please note that they have limited patrol days and times so please confirm their patrol times before visiting if you are looking for this peace of mind.
Surf Lifesaving Western Australia 9207 6666
METRO SURF LIFESAVING CLUBS
Alkimos SLSC admin@alkimosslsc.com.au
Coogee Beach SLSC 9494 1433
Cottesloe SLSC 9383 4400
City of Perth SLSC (City Beach) 6183 3843
Scarboro SLSC 9341 1011
Fremantle SLSC 9335 4359
Sorrento SLSC 9448 1431
Mullaloo SLSC 9307 7766
North Cottesloe SLSC 9284 2626
Quinns Mindarie SLSC 9305 1870
Swanbourne/ Nedlands SLSC 9384 0020
Trigg Island SLSC 9447 3556
Floreat SLSC 9385 9370
Yanchep SLSC 0428 420 842
REGIONAL CLUBS
Albany SLSC 9481 3327
Binningup SLSC 0427 201 138
Dalyellup Beach SLSC
Esperance Goldfields Surf Lifesaving 9072 0087 egslsc@gmail.com
Geraldton SLSC 9921 3403
Mandurah SLSC 9518 1419
Port Bouvard SLSC 9582 2787
Secret Harbour SLSC 9524 7092
Smiths Beach SLSC, Yallingup 0491 136 957
City of Bunbury SLSC 9721 3633
Busselton SLSC admin@busseltonsurf.com
Beaches with Shark Barrier Nets
If sharks are your concern for getting in the water then here are some beaches that have a netted area for swimming for your peace of mind.
● Cottesloe Beach
● Coogee Beach
● Quinns Beach
● Rottnest Island- Thomson Bay
● Old Dunsborough Beach
● Busselton Foreshore
● Middleton Beach, Albany
Shark Watch: If you’d like to keep an eye on where the tagged and spotted sharks are then this is useful.
Rips at the beach
Rip are one of the most common dangerous hazards on the beach. Rips are powerful narrow channels of fast-moving water out to sea. 17% of Australians will be caught in a rip in their lifetime.
How to spot a Rip:
Look out for deeper, darker coloured water, fewer breaking waves in a section, a rippled surface surrounded by still water, seaweed and sediment and also churning, sandy clouds floating towards the back of the waves.
Rips can be quite hard to spot from the shoreline, hence why surf towers are raised to see danger from a birds eye view.
How to get out of a Rip:
Do not, under any circumstances attempt to swim directly back to shore against the rip. Do not panic as panicking leads to bad decisions and fatigue, which leads to drowning.
If you’re a competent swimmer try to swim out of the current by swimming parallel to the beach and find your way back to shore.
If you’re a poorer swimmer signal for help by waving your hand calmly to others/lifeguards on the beach and call for help.
For more information on rips and surf safety check out the BeachSafe website or app.
