An alarming rise in beach rescues by the City of Stirling — including a shocking all-time high in December — has prompted an appeal for greater awareness of the dangers of Perth beaches.

The city employs four full-time beach inspectors to patrol its beaches year-round and up to 16 casual lifeguards to bolster these patrols from the September school holidays to the end of April.

In December, the city’s Beach Services team performed an unprecedented 374 rescues — more than they typically perform in an entire year.

The rescues involved struggling swimmers, a couple whose boat had capsized off Mettams Pool and even a trio of young men who were getting blown out to sea on an inflatable raft.

The December figure brought the total rescues so far for the 2024-25 financial year to almost 800, making it far and away the city’s worst year on record after just six months.

Beach Services team leader John Snook said the statistics pointed to a growing lack of general ocean safety awareness – a trend seen firsthand by his staff over the past couple of years.

He has led the Beach Services team for more than 25 years after starting his career with the city as a lifeguard in 1986.

“Our team is seeing more people who either aren’t aware of how dangerous the ocean can be or don’t have enough respect for it,” Mr Snook said.

“The basic ocean safety messages don’t seem to be reaching the community like they used to, so that lack of education is one of our concerns.

“We get a lot of tourists, international students and people from migrant backgrounds — particularly at Scarborough Beach — who haven’t grown up learning about the fundamentals of ocean safety, and those cultural differences can put them at greater risk in the water.

“My main piece of advice for everyone is to swim between the flags at a patrolled beach, where you have highly trained beach inspectors, beach lifeguards and volunteer surf life savers looking out for you.”

Another trend seen by city staff in recent years is busier beaches on weekdays, as post-COVID work arrangements give people more flexibility.

The city is the only local government in WA that provides its own beach patrols 365 days a year.

Beach Services also has strong relationships with surf lifesaving clubs Scarboro and Trigg Island, which have almost 2500 members between them.

The clubs operate a volunteer rescue service at the two busiest beaches in the city on weekends and public holidays between October and April.

They also provide patrols at the city’s beaches during the abalone season from December to February.

Stirling mayor Mark Irwin, a past president of Scarboro SLSC and Surf Life Saving WA, said the series of recent drownings at WA beaches was a tragic reminder of the dangers of the ocean.

“We don’t want to talk anyone out of going to the beach because we have incredible beaches in the City of Stirling – we just want everyone to be safe,” he said.

“Beaches like Scarborough and Trigg are fantastic places to visit, but in certain conditions, they can be unsafe for people of any skill level.

“Pay attention to the people who are there to keep you safe, pay attention to the conditions and don’t underestimate how powerful the ocean can be.

“If you’re not a particularly strong swimmer or you don’t have much experience in the surf, I would urge you to put your safety first and stay well within your limits.”

Beach safety tips:

Swim between the flags on a patrolled beach

Heed the advice of warning signs and safety personnel

Stay within your limits — if in doubt, stay out

Don’t drink and swim

Speak to beach inspectors, lifeguards or volunteer surf lifesavers if you have questions or concerns

Learn the visual signs of a rip current, such as darker water, fewer breaking waves, a rippled surface, and sand/foam/debris that extends beyond the surf zone

If you can’t swim, don’t enter the water. Instead, enjoy the beach experience from the sand.

To learn more about beach safety, visit beachsafe.org.au or stirling.wa.gov.au/beaches.