Lifesavers needed to avert tragedy

Bunbury beaches need full-time lifeguards to avoid someone being seriously injured or killed, warns City of Bunbury Surf Life Saving Club president Peter Duncan.

Mr Duncan said while the club’s volunteer lifeguards patrolled on weekends, if an incident occurred on a weekday during the busy holiday period, it could have serious consequences.

He said there needed to be more livesaver patrols at the popular Koombana Bay because the club could only visit the area a few times on weekends.

“At Koombana Bay there are no regular lifeguards around, so if someone is in need of help they are in trouble as we are a few kilometres away,” he said.

“In Perth, councils have paid beach inspectors and ideally it would be nice in Bunbury, but we have to rely on rangers and they don’t always have the capacity.

“People are always at the beach over summer and our workload while on patrol is overloaded.”

Bunbury Mayor Gary Brennan said the council would look into employing lifeguards if approached.

A spokesman for Surf Life Saving WA said it aimed to patrol as many beaches as possible.

“We are happy to look into it with the council if they determine it as a priority,” he said.

“Any unpatrolled beach is a danger.”

Mr Duncan said last week’s sighting of a 3m shark off Back Beach highlighted the need for fulltime lifeguards.

“If a beach had to be closed down, the ranger would have to come down and close the beach as we have no authority to do so,” he said.

“If there was a full-time lifeguard there they could close the beach down immediately.”

Mr Brennan praised the efforts of the surf club for its services.

“The Bunbury Surf Life Saving Club provides an excellent service which relies on volunteer lifesavers patrolling our beaches in times of peak periods such as weekends, public holidays, and over the summer months,” he said.

Mr Duncan said the harsh swell and rocky surfaces at Back Beach created concerns for swimmers and posed a significant threat without proper supervision.

“There are rocks and a rip at Backwash and heaps of rocks at Hungry Hollow,” he said.

“All submerged rocks pose a threat to swimmers in rough waters.”