WA Boat skippers warned to watch for rough seas after 60 percent jump in on-water deaths in 10 years

On-water deaths have increased by almost 60 per cent in the past decade, sparking warnings from authorities for skippers to take extra care and plan ahead.

According to the Department of Transport and Major Infrastructure the number of annual on-water deaths increased to 7.3 across the last 10 years, up from the previous ten-year average of 4.6.

Weather was a significant factor in the rise in deaths, with more skippers heading out when conditions were too rough.

The rise has prompted authorities to launch an awareness campaign on being aware of conditions.

DTMI waterways safety management director Graeme Meinema said skippers should be aware of the conditions before they head out to sea.

“There has been a concerning increase in capsize incidents, growing from 15 in 2022-23 to 31 in 2024-25 with four involving a fatality and the majority of incidents occurring in the North Metropolitan area,” he said.

“Every time a skipper heads to open water the forecast waves, seas and swell should be considered along with current warnings, wind direction and speed and changing tides.

“On the water they should also be aware that wave height can vary in every set, with some waves being considerably larger so a good lookout is essential especially near reefs.”

According to DTMI, boats sized at 3m or smaller should not go out to sea with swells of more than 2m, while 5m boats should stay on the shore at 3m.

For boats 10m in length a swell of 4m is enough to prevent it from being safe to set sail.

The warning comes just days after two people were rescued after their boat capsized off Garden Island on Tuesday.

Mr Meinema said the department would be using data to help better inform skippers.

“We are using data to identify trends in boating behaviour where weather is a factor and over the next five years we will provide timely, targeted information to improve the knowledge of skippers to reduce weather related incident rates,” he said.