News & Alerts

Alert issued on 18 December 2023

Alert level:

A shark ADVICE has been issued for Gracetown water users, due to a partial outage in the Shark Monitoring Network at Lefthanders Surfing Spot.

Situation:

• The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) advise that tagged shark detections from Shark Monitoring Network receiver located at Lefthanders Surfing Spot is currently offline.
• This is one of three receivers located off Gracetown. The Cowaramup Bay (North) and Cowaramup Bay (South) receivers remain operational. 
• The Lefthanders Surfing Spot receiver has a technical fault and is out of operation until further notice.
• DPIRD staff are investigating the fault. 

What to do:

• Take additional caution in the Gracetown area.
• Adhere to beach closures 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: 

The relevant authorities that receive shark notifications to assist them in responses have been notified of the outage; including Surf Life Saving WA, WA Police and relevant local government rangers.

DPIRD will be working to restore the system to full operational status as soon as possible. 

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.