2024 Rottnest Channel Swim abandoned because of dangerous weather

Organisers of the 2024 South32 Rottnest Channel Swim were today forced to abandon the event part way through because of dangerous weather conditions.

The Weather bureau advised that 20-25 knots winds which became progressively stronger were the reason for the rough seas.

Following advice from the Bureau of Meteorology, Surf Life Saving WA and Marine Rescue Fremantle, the Association made the difficult decision to cancel the event in order to protect the safety of its participants.  

All participants were to exit the water at 10am due to unsafe water conditions. 

According to the ABC, two 15-year-old boys and two women in their 20s were “plucked out of the water” earlier in the event and taken to Fiona Stanley Hospital in Fremantle. All four have since been discharged.

While thousands of swimmers take part in the almost 20-kilometre race, only some managed to complete the race with participants who had not reached the 14-kilometre mark told to immediately pull out.

The Rottnest Channel Swim Association (RCSA) released a statement in which it advised that it was “devastated for all our participants. Unfortunately, the weather is now categorised as an extreme risk."

The ABC reported that is just the second time in the event's 34-year history the swim has been cancelled due to poor weather conditions with the last time being in 2007 due to bad weather linked to cyclonic activity in WA's north.

Rottnest Channel Swim President, Kirsty Bellombra, said it was a tough but necessary call by the organisers adding "It's a really, really hard decision to make but we definitely go in with a really clear head and safety is paramount.

"We have a matrix that we plug all of our weather information into, and it tipped over into the 'extreme risk' — which is abandoning the event for us."