West Coast Water Safety

04/04/2026

Know Before You Go

Cable Beach Lifeguard Daily Tip:
Always swim between the red and yellow flags! Our lifeguards patrol this area to ensure it is the safest on the beach.
Our tide movements can create unpredictable rip currents, and swimming outside the flags puts you at greater risk.



Lifeguards on duty today: Melisa, Cam, & Kev

Tide Schedule:
- High Tide: 12:17 PM (9.84m)
- Low Tide: 6:42 PM (1.27m)

Water Temp is a very comfortable 30.4 deg

Shire of Broome
ABC Kimberley
Beach Hut Broome
Broome And Around
Destination Broome
Visit Broome

03/04/2026

Know Before You Go

Cable Beach Lifeguard Daily Tip:

Plan your beach visit! Check the weather forecast, tide times (see below), and lifeguard patrol times (9 AM - 4:30 PM daily) before heading to Cable Beach. Knowing the conditions helps ensure a safe and enjoyable day.



Lifeguards on duty today: Melisa, Cam, & Kev

Tide Schedule:
- High Tide: 11:52 AM (9.95m)
- Low Tide: 6:18 PM (1.1m)

Water Temp is a very comfortable 30.4 deg

Shire of Broome
ABC Kimberley
Beach Hut Broome
Broome And Around
Destination Broome
Visit Broome

02/04/2026

Cable Beach Lifeguard Service Resumes

The Cable Beach Lifeguard service has resumed! Lifeguards Cam and Kev will be on duty from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM today, Friday, April 3rd.

Important Information:
- Swim Between the Flags: For your safety, always swim within the designated red and yellow flags. We pick the safest area for you to swim and mark it with the flags.
- Tide Schedule:
- High Tide: 11:28 AM (9.9m)
- Low Tide: 5:52 PM (1.1m)

Escape to paradise this weekend! The stunning sands and turquoise waters of Cable Beach await. We look forward to welcoming you.

Shire of Broome
Beach Hut Broome
Broome And Around
Broome Advertiser
Broome And Around
Destination Broome
Visit Broome

01/04/2026

Not long to go..... see you all Friday 9am (about 7.30am for the Beach Hut Broome who obviously can't sleep :) )

🏖️ Lifeguards return to Walmanyjun Cable Beach this Friday!

The Shire would like to advise the community that lifeguard services delivered by West Coast Water Safety will recommence from Friday, 3 April (Good Friday).

As we head into the busy Easter period, visitors and locals are reminded to swim between the flags, follow lifeguard advice, and take care when enjoying our beautiful coastline 🌊

For anyone wishing to loan a beach wheelchair, visit broome.wa.gov.au/beach-wheelchair-loan.

Let’s all do our part to keep safe these holidays🌞

19/03/2026

For all those asking the flags (9am) and Beach Hut Broome umbrellas (7.30am ish) will go up on Cable Beach this Good Friday April 3rd.

See you all down there

19/03/2026

Lovely day training the Hotel staff in SISCAQU020 Perform water rescue. Can't complain about the pool with a view!

18/02/2026

Excellent article based on NSW but just as appropriate for WA.

SMH 17.02.26
OPINION
The blind spot that’s making our beaches less safe

February 17, 2026 — 7:30pm
Rob Brander
Link https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/the-blind-spot-that-s-making-our-beaches-less-safe-20260217-p5o31b.html

Lifeguards at beaches like Bondi are employed by the local council. Surf lifesavers, in their familiar red and yellow, are volunteers.
Lifeguards at beaches like Bondi are employed by the local council. LOUISE KENNERLEY. Surf lifesavers, in their familiar red and yellow, are volunteers.

It’s been another terrible summer of coastal drowning in Australia, with 47 lives tragically lost to date, according to Surf Life Saving Australia.

This statistic does not come close to conveying the magnitude of the emotional, societal and economic impacts associated with each drowning.

It should therefore be of considerable concern that the Australian Water Safety Strategy 2030 Midpoint Update, released last year by the Australian Water Safety Council, showed that beach drowning rates have increased significantly over the last five years.
Beaches were identified as a priority requiring urgent safety attention, including expanding lifeguard service times and locations. So what are we doing to urgently address this problem? I would argue, not enough.
Beach attendance has increased in recent years, with more people seeking less crowded and more regional beaches that are often unpatrolled. Many also enter the water outside patrolled areas and times, particularly on hot summer evenings after the flags have come down.
Not surprisingly, all the beach drowning fatalities in NSW this summer, and in most previous summers, have occurred away from lifesaving services or outside patrol times. So why don’t we just keep up with the increased beach attendance by increasing the presence of lifeguards and lifesavers on our beaches? The answer comes down to logistics and funding.
I recently witnessed the aftermath of a non-fatal drowning on a beach near Wollongong. The beach was patrolled with the flags set up near the Surf Life Saving club at the northern end of the beach. But many people were swimming along the unpatrolled southern end of the beach where there is ample parking, easy access and several rip currents.

The council lifeguard and multiple paramedics were treating a teenage boy at the southern end who had been caught in a rip and rescued by surfers. Fortunately, he was OK, but it was a close call, and afterwards the lifeguard told me that the council wanted to station an additional lifeguard along that section of beach, but couldn’t afford it. This is a problem along much of the NSW coast. Many councils simply do not have enough funding to extend their beach lifeguard services at times when, or at locations where, they are badly needed.

Despite their ubiquitous beach presence and 18 seasons of the reality show Bondi Rescue, many people still don’t understand the difference between lifeguards – who are paid by councils and often patrol seven days a week and year-round on the more popular beaches – and surf lifesavers, who are volunteers that patrol on weekends and public holidays between September and April.

A recent report by the UNSW Beach Safety Research Group showed that in a typical year, paid lifeguards are solely in charge of patrolling NSW beaches 77 per cent of the time, compared with 14 per cent for volunteer lifesavers. The rest of the time, both operate together.

In some urban councils in Sydney and Newcastle, the volunteer lifesavers are never on patrol without the presence of paid lifeguards. It is therefore hard not to argue that paid lifeguards are the backbone of beach safety in NSW.

Both paid and volunteer services are incredibly valuable for keeping our beaches safe. As a past patrol captain and life member of my Surf Life Saving club, I have seen first-hand the fantastic benefits of the volunteer surf lifesaving movement. But it is not realistic or fair to expect volunteers to increase their patrol hours and locations, particularly when some clubs struggle to find enough active patrolling members.

However, while Surf Life Saving NSW traditionally receives significant funding from the NSW government, most recently a record four-year $72 million fundinginvestment, there is no external funding provided to, or made available to, councils to help enable them to extend their paid lifeguard services.

Councils can only seek to reallocate funds from within their own budget to extend lifeguard patrol hours and add lifeguards on both popular patrolled and unpatrolled beaches.

Let’s continue to support our volunteers, but if we really want to get serious about reducing the number of beach drownings, the NSW government should also start make funding available to councils to expand their paid lifeguard services. Having more lifeguards on more of our beaches, more of the time, can only be a good thing.

Rob Brander is a professor at the University of NSW School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences and a researcher at UNSW Beach Safety Research Group.

The presence of lifeguards and lifesavers on our beaches is not keeping pace with increasing visitation numbers.

07/02/2026

Great morning with the WCWS Lifeguard team on Whitfords Nodes Beach keeping the vibe good for attendees at Dawnbreak Perth Finale this morning.

Great to see so many head in for a dip to cool off after dancing while the sun came up.

22/01/2026

Another confirmed Irrukandji sting. Again at Town Beach about 2 hours ago


Shire of Broome
Broome Advertiser
Beach Hut Broome
Broome Surf Life Saving Club
Broome And Around
ABC Kimberley

19/01/2026

West Coast Water Safety — Proud to Have Served at SailGP Round One, Fremantle, WA

We’re thrilled to announce that West Coast Water Safety was selected to provide professional lifeguard and water safety services for SailGP Round One in Fremantle last weekend.

It was an honour to support a world-class event on our coastline and help keep officials and spectators safe throughout the regatta.

A huge thank you to the SailGP organisers for their trust and to our lifeguards for their professionalism, vigilance, and teamwork. Your training and dedication made a real difference on the water.

If you want to learn more about our services or see behind-the-scenes highlights from the weekend, follow our page and get in touch. We’re proud to protect our community and excited for what’s next.

SailGP
West Coast First Aid Training

27/12/2025

Another Irrukandji sting. Third in 24 hours. Again Town Beach area at 3.30pm today


Shire of Broome
Broome Advertiser
Beach Hut Broome
Broome Surf Life Saving Club
Broome And Around
ABC Kimberley

26/12/2025

Another confirmed Irrukandji sting (2nd for today).

This time enterance point at 6pm.

Wet season is not the time to go ocean swimming, they are clearly out and about, so stick with the BRAC!

Swim in the dry season, between the flags at Cable Beach, Broome WA

Shire of Broome
Broome Advertiser
Beach Hut Broome
Broome Surf Life Saving Club
ABC Kimberley
Broome Recreation and Aquatic Centre
Broome And Around