Swell, rips and slippery black rocks.
Coastal Safety with Dave the Lifesaver
When a big swell swept a visitor off the rocks at Salmon Beach in January 2026, Esperance volunteer Dave Macmahon paddled out on a rescue board to reach him. Jack , a visitor from Perth is the first person known to have survived being swept off that headland. Dave now wants every visitor to understand why the Esperance coast is dangerous, and how they can stay safe.
The Esperance Promise
“I will admire the power of the ocean, being mindful of swell, rips and slippery black rocks.”
The day the swell came up
On the morning of 7 January 2026, Dave spent half an hour watching the ocean off Esperance. He's a surveyor by trade and a volunteer with Marine Rescue Esperance and the Esperance Surf Life Saving Club, and he didn't like what he saw: a swell of nearly four metres rolling in from the Southern Ocean.
Around midday, Jack, a visitor from Perth, and his girlfriend Brodie were on the granite headland at Salmon Beach. They'd read the "slippery rocks" signs and stayed clear of the wet rock, and thought they were safe. Then a wave came up behind Jack and swept him into the sea.
The rescue
Brodie called triple zero on one bar of phone coverage. The call reached Chris Brien, the Response Group coordinator at the Esperance Surf Life Saving Club, who rang Dave. Dave grabbed his wetsuit, Chris grabbed the rescue board kept nearby for exactly this kind of callout, and Dave paddled out around the headland.
He found Jack about 300 metres out, still swimming. Dave couldn't go in close in case a wave pushed them both onto the rocks, so he sat downwind and called Jack over to the board. Then he paddled them out into the middle of the bay and kept Jack talking until Marine Rescue Esperance arrived to pull them both aboard. Jack was cut, bruised and very cold, but alive.
The first rescue at Salmon Beach
Lives have been lost off the rocks at Salmon Beach before. Until that day, every callout there had ended in a search, never a rescue.
"We've never done a rescue there, they've always been recoveries." — Dave [Macmahon]
Jack did the right things. Instead of trying to scramble back to the rocks, he turned and swam away from them, stayed as calm as he could, and saved his energy until help arrived.
In September 2026, Dave received the Marine Rescue Individual Achievement Award at the WA Fire and Emergency Services Awards for the rescue. He wants to use it to raise awareness of how dangerous the rocks along the south coast can be.
Watch
Dave on why the ocean deserves respect
Dave made this video to show what happens when you end up in the water, and why you want to make sure you never do.
Dave's three things to watch
The Esperance coastline is beautiful, and it's powerful. Dave's line in the Esperance Promise sums up what to look out for.
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Swell.
Swell here is unpredictable. As Dave puts it, swells come "from different angles, different places", and one bigger set can reach rock you thought was dry. Check the conditions before you go, never turn your back to the ocean, and on big swell days enjoy the view from the beach or a lookout.
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Rips.
Look for deeper, darker water, fewer breaking waves, or a rippled patch between smooth water. If you're caught in one, stay calm, raise an arm for help and float, or swim parallel to the shore or towards the breaking waves.
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Slippery black rocks.
Algae near the high-tide mark makes the black rocks on this coast very slippery, even when they look dry. Stay well back from the water's edge. Many of the most photographed spots are best admired from a distance, and if you're fishing, Dave's tip is that "you actually catch more fish off the beach."
If someone ends up in the water
If you're swept in:
- Stay calm.
- Swim away from the rocks, not back towards them.
- Drop anything heavy.
- Float and save your energy until help arrives.
If you see someone in trouble:
- Call 000 straight away.
- Give the operator the number on the green and red Beach Emergency Number (BEN) sign at the beach access point.
Rock fishing:
Wear a life jacket and tie off on the rock bolts. Life jackets and rope are free to borrow from several local outlets.
If in doubt, don't go out, and ask a local about the calmest spots on the day.
Further Reading
A little local knowledge goes a long way. Here's what you need to know before you head out, so you don't become a statistic.
Help care for this place and its people. Learn how to travel responsibly and return home safely. Make the Esperance Promise before you go.
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