News & Alerts

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. 

• Surf Life Saving WA shark mitigation services funded until 2024-25 in State Budget
• Weekend patrols begin for Perth and South-West helicopters this weekend
• $12 million allocation in State Budget providing comprehensive beach and aerial patrols, integrated communication systems and jet ski response team 

Update on 20 August 2021 at 10:00am

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) would like to advise the system outage of the Shark Monitoring Network has now been restored. However please note, Busselton's receiver remains offline.

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 12 August at 2:40pm

Parks and Wildlife Services officers from the Department of Biodiversity, Conversation and Attractions have assessed the whale carcass at Bateman Bay, near Coral Bay and have removed the Regulation 44 closure notice.  

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.