Eye in the sky back for school holidays

The South West Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter will be in the sky from tomorrow in a bid to keep an eye on the region’s coastline during school holidays.

Surf Life Saving WA will deploy the chopper for daily patrols from Binningup to Hamelin Bay with an increase in visitors expected to head south as school wraps up for two weeks today.

Lifesaving services manager Peter Scott said the presence of the helicopter in the sky gave beachgoers an added degree of comfort, especially with the high level of shark activity observed in the South West over the past season.

“We of course continue to advise beachgoers to take all necessary precautions including choosing to swim at patrolled beaches, or in the absence of patrol services, checking SLSWA’s Twitter feed for any safety warnings or beach closures prior to heading to the beach,” Mr Scott said.

Statistics from the helicopter’s services during the 2015-16 year reveal 390 shark sightings and 121 warnings from the chopper.

The chopper patrolled 43,560km of the South West during 396 aerial patrol hours.

After the September school holidays end, the helicopter will return to weekend services until November 24 when it will go back to daily patrols.