News & Alerts

Alert level:
A shark WARNING has been issued for the area between Other Side of the Moon Surf Spot and Windmills Surf Spot around Cape Naturaliste after an increased number of reported shark sightings over the weekend.

Situation:

• Reports of several large sharks, species unknown have been reported over the weekend.
• 2 x 3m sharks sighted were sighted on 21/02, and 1 x 3m shark was sighted on 20/02 at Other Side of the Moon Surf Spot, south of Cape Naturaliste.
• 2 x 3m sharks were sighted on 21/02, at the adjacent Windmills Surfing Spot, south of Cape Naturaliste.
• It is possible that the frequency of the recent reported sightings may increase the likelihood of encountering a shark in this area.
• The change in activity may be due to environmental conditions. There have been reports of unusually high numbers of schooling tuna in the area.

UPDATE on 10 February, 2016:
Services have been restored to 2kms off Scarborough Shark Monitoring Network receiver. The network is now fully operational.

Alert level:
A shark ADVICE has been issued for Western Australian water users due to a partial outage in the shark notification system.

Situation:

• Fisheries advise tagged shark detections from Shark Monitoring Network satellite-linked receiver located 2kms off Scarborough are currently offline
• The receiver was damaged by a vessel collision and is out of operation until further notice.
• The remainder of the system, including the inshore Scarborough receiver, is fully operational.

Alert level:
A shark WARNING has been issued for Rottnest Island after a number of reported shark sightings in the last 7 days.

Alert level:
A shark ADVICE has been issued due to a whale carcass being reported at Yallingup Beach, in the City of Busselton.

Alert level:
A shark ADVICE has been issued, due to a whale carcass being reported at Circus Beach near Walpole.

Situation:

• The whale carcass was reported to the Department of Fisheries today by the Department of Parks and Wildlife.
• It is possible the decomposing carcass will act as an attractant that could lead to sharks coming close in to shore along this stretch of coast.
• While it’s not uncommon for sharks to be present off the Western Australian coast throughout the year, people should exercise additional caution.

UPDATE on 4 December, 2015:
Services have been restored to the Leighton Beach Shark Monitoring Network receiver. The network is now fully operational.

Alert level:
A shark ADVICE has been issued for Western Australian water users due to a partial outage in the shark notification system.

Situation:

• The Leighton Beach VR4G Shark Monitoring Network receiver is currently offline
• Department of Fisheries is currently working on identifying the problem
• Only the one receiver is currently offline and for an unspecified period of time

UPDATE on 1 November, 2015:
The City of Albany has advised that it has this afternoon reopened Cheynes Beach.

Alert level:
A shark WARNING has been issued for beaches in the Waychinicup National Park area, east of Albany, including Cheynes Beach.

The warning has been issued after a scuba diver had an interaction with a shark at nearby Bald Island on Friday 30 October, 2015. Cheynes is the closest swimming beach to the location of the incident.
 
Situation:

• To reduce the threat to people, Cheynes Beach has been closed by City of Albany and will remain closed until 3PM today following which a reassessment will be made.
• Authorities are continuing to monitor the situation throughout the day and advice will be provided about any continued beach closures for Sunday.

The Department of Fisheries is currently investigating a report of a shark incident at Bald Island, east of Albany.

Situation:
• A man received injuries by an unknown shark.
• The incident is estimated to have occurred just after midday today.
• The man was believed to have been diving from a boat, and had been spear fishing prior to the incident.
• The man attended Albany Regional Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries and has since been discharged.

UPDATE on 23 October, 2015:
The Department of Parks & Wildlife has confirmed that the whale carcass has now been removed and that the beach will be reopened to the public tomorrow (Saturday 24 October).

Alert level:
A shark ADVICE has been issued due to a whale carcass being reported at Moses Rock Beach in the City of Busselton.

Situation:

• The whale carcass was reported by a member of the public to Department of Parks and Wildlife at approximately 2pm.
• It is possible the carcass will act as an attractant that could lead to sharks coming close in to shore along this stretch of coast.
• While it’s not uncommon for sharks to be present off the Western Australian coast throughout the year, people should exercise additional caution

Alert level:

Pyramids Beach at Dawesville, where a young surfer was bitten on the foot on Wednesday, has been re-opened this morning.

Situation:

The City of Mandurah has opened the beach; given there have been no further sightings of sharks in the vicinity since Wednesday’s shark bite incident.

The Department of Fisheries yesterday confirmed after examining photographs of tooth fragments, that the young surfer’s injuries were most likely as a result of being bitten by a Grey Nurse shark.