Port Bouvard Surf Live Saving Club have welcomed a new custom designed, observation tower aimed at boosting their operational and surveillance capabilities.
The tower is one of 10 that have been rolled out across the state thanks to Surf Life Saving WA.
The towers will enable a “whole of beach view” by pushing the position of lifesavers above beach users and providing a greater field of vision, according to Surf Life Saving WA (SLSWA) General Manager Chris Peck.
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“Surveillance is the cornerstone of what we do as lifesavers,” Mr Peck said.
“The implementation of these towers will not only increase our lifesavers ability to spot hazards in the water but significantly provide the opportunity to increase our patrolling footprint.”
Funded through a $750,000 Lotterywest grant, the non-permanent towers provide an elevated surveillance platform, with the lifesavers deck nearly three metres high.
Mr Peck said that, while the use of observation towers occurs on beaches worldwide, these modular towers are locally designed and manufactured and will significantly increase the patrolling footprint of lifesavers.
SLSWA worked closely with local councils and surf life saving clubs, who made a co-contribution to the purchase cost of the towers, to make the project possible.
