Sound The Alarm, Shark Sightings

Arriving at Cottesloe Beach for swimming and sunbathing.

Settling down on my big blue beach towel, with my earphones in and music pumping away I was enjoying the awesome views of Cottesloe Beach and the coastline further up. I was still dripping wet having just got out of the water after a 30 minute swim in the warm Indian Ocean.

Lezil had gone down to the nearby outdoor shower to wash off the sea water. I closed my eyes, preferring to allow the sun to dry me. Moments later, I took my iPod out to see what track I was listening to. It was the 2009 Hed Kandi compilation mix – an album I had heard, literally, hundreds of times.

But there was something in the track that I don’t remember hearing before, a siren – the type you hear blasted to hype a club up. That was odd. I decided to skip the track back to the beginning and the momentary one second gap before the replay, it made me realise the siren wasn’t from my music but it was coming from outside.

I sat up to see three Australia lifeguards moving swiftly along the beach blowing whistles and calling people to urgently come out of the water. The siren was endless, a bit like the one you’d associate with air raids during a war. I grabbed by camera and headed down to the shoreline to get a closer look. Standing next to me was a young lady from Perth and I asked her to let me know what was going on. “Two sharks have been spotted close to the beach,” she said.

Suddenly a loud helicopter sound came roaring above.

With the shark alarm sounding, no one dares swims.

A Surf Life WA helicopter following the movements of a shark in the water.

I remember seeing one up beach while we were swimming earlier. She told me the coast guards use helicopters to monitor the waters and any potential threats to swimmers. And the fact that they had been flying around pretty much all afternoon, meant that the inevitable shark alarm was bound to go off. It’s no joke – being shark aware. A local website Shark Alarm has a page dedicated to sightings which practically has daily updates.

A large number of people had gathered on the rock jetty where shark movements had been spotted in the water.

As it was a clear day, water visibility was good. In the frantic rush to get out, one kite surfer lost his foot and his board was left drifting away in the water. I managed to grab a quick chat with one of the lifeguards who was very a-matter-of-fact about the whole thing.

He said that it was dangerous to allow anyone back in the water because of the high shark activity and that the beach would remain closed for at least an hour. Strangely enough, a fatal shark attack occurred on this very beach one year ago. A 64 year old man went for a morning swim whilst his family waited on shore to have breakfast with him. By 9:30am the alarm was raised and eventually his swimming suit was recovered with clear signs of shark bites. That time around, Cottesloe Beach remained shut for two days.

A number of people gather on the rocks to catch a glimpse of the shark.

Active in waters around Western Australia - the Great White.

There are around 370 species of sharks of which over 100 can be found in Western Australian waters. According to the Surf Life WA rescue helicopter service, there have been over 246 shark sightings so far this summer.  Ironically, the fact that there is so much shark activity in the area is clear indication of water cleanliness and a healthy marine environment.

I must admit, experiencing a shark warning firsthand has made me slightly wary of swimming in too deep. There was I earlier doing breaststroke in about two metres plus of ocean water, not realising the potential danger lurking further out.

As another friend in Perth said, he swims in the water and doesn’t even think about sharks because, “if you look for them, you will find them…” he told me eerily. All I can say is a massive respect to the Australian life saving crew – they carry a large responsibility on their shoulders.