News & Alerts

• Shark Warning towers use lights, sirens and audio alerts to notify shark activity
• 10 beachside shark warning towers have been fully automated to link with receivers
• McGowan Government is committed to making WA beaches as safe as possible 

Update on 18 November at 11:00am

Services have been restored to the Shark Warning System (tower) at Gas Bay, Margaret River. All towers are now fully operational.

Switch on your Sea Sense and stay informed of shark activity information by checking the SharkSmart website, download the SharkSmart WA app or follow Surf Life Saving WA Twitter.

If you see a shark, report it to Water Police on 9442 8600.

Update on 17 November at 09:15am

Rottnest Island Rangers have reopened Thomson Bay, Pinky Beach, The Basin and Longreach Bay, following the relocation of the whale carcass yesterday afternoon.

Fisheries Officers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) continue to monitor the movement and drift direction of the carcass using the attached tracking device. 

Additional caution is recommended by DPIRD in the Rottnest Island area, as any residue from the whale carcass may still attract sharks to the area. 

Switch on your Sea Sense and stay informed of shark activity information by checking the SharkSmart website, download the SharkSmart WA app or follow Surf Life Saving WA Twitter.

 If you see a shark, report it to Water Police on 9442 8600

Update on 11 November at 15:25pm

Officers from the Department of Biodiversity, Conversation and Attractions have recently inspected the area and the whale carcass is no longer in place at Turtle Bay, Dirk Hartog Island, within the Shire of Denham.

Additional caution is recommended by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, as any residue from where the whale carcass was beached may still attract sharks to the area.   

Switch on your Sea Sense and stay informed of shark activity information by checking the SharkSmart website, download the SharkSmart WA app or follow Surf Life Saving WA Twitter.

If you see a shark, report it to Water Police on 9442 8600. 

Update issued 8 November 2021, 15:53pm

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) will conclude sea-based patrols at Port Beach this afternoon, following a reported shark bite incident on Saturday.

Situation:

• Beaches have been reopened and water users are advised to take additional care in the Port Beach area. 
• DPIRD received a report of a serious shark bite incident just after 10am on Saturday, 6 November 2021, when a 57-year-old missing man was reported to have been taken by a shark.

What to do:

• Adhere to beach closures if advised by Local Government Rangers, Parks and Wildlife Service officers or Surf Life Saving WA.
• Use your Sea Sense and stay informed by checking for shark activity on the SharkSmart website, SharkSmart WA app or Surf Life Saving WA’s Twitter feed.
• If you see a shark, report it to Water Police on 9442 8600. All shark sighting information reported to Water Police is provided to land managers and relevant authorities and to the public on the SharkSmart website, SharkSmart WA app and Surf Life Saving WA Twitter feed. 

What authorities are doing: 

DPIRD Fisheries will continue to maintain a presence in the Port Beach area during the course of their routine operations. 

Extra information: 

Switch on your Sea Sense and stay informed of shark activity information by checking the SharkSmart website – www.sharksmart.com.au/shark-activity, download the SharkSmart WA app or follow Surf Life Saving WA Twitter – twitter.com/SLSWA. 

Check www.sharksmart.com.au/news for updates to this alert and to view other warnings and media releases.

• WA's beachside shark warning towers to be automatically triggered as tagged sharks are detected
• McGowan Government is committed to making WA beaches safe
• Automation program forms part of WA's $17 million world-leading shark mitigation strategy 

• McGowan Government initiative working to improve beach safety along the WA coast
• Chapman Valley the first Shire to share in $600,000 of available grant funding for the northern rollout of the BEN sign program
• BEN signs provide vital support to first responders to emergencies and form part of the State Government's comprehensive shark mitigation strategy 

Update on 14 September at 12:00 noon

Services have been restored to the Shark Monitoring Network receiver located at West Beach, Esperance. 

Switch on your Sea Sense and stay informed of shark activity information by checking the SharkSmart website, download the SharkSmart WA app or follow Surf Life Saving WA Twitter.

If you see a shark, report it to Water Police on 9442 8600.

Alert level:

A shark ADVICE has been issued due to a confirmed shark interaction at 3 Mile Reef, directly west of Hillarys Marina.

Update on 9 September at 3:20pm

Scheduled maintenance of the Shark Monitoring Network has now been completed. 

32 of the 34 shark monitoring receivers are back online. The receivers located at Busselton and West Beach, Esperance remain offline.  

Tagged shark detection information has been reviewed during the time of the outage and no detections occurred during this period.

Switch on you Sea Sense and stay informed of shark activity information by checking the SharkSmart website, download the SharkSmart WA app or follow Surf Life Saving WA Twitter.

If you see a shark, report it to Water Police on 9442 8600.