Tom Locke, with fellow ocean pool proponents Lewis Flood and Leisha Jack, at Cottesloe beach.
Camera IconTom Locke, with fellow ocean pool proponents Lewis Flood and Leisha Jack, at Cottesloe beach. Credit: Supplied/Andrew Ritchie

Push for sea pools gathers momentum

Jon Bassett, Western Suburbs WeeklyWestern Suburbs Weekly

‘It would be the key to getting all the beach pool movement happening from Albany to Geraldton,’ Scarborough beach pool proponent Leisha Jack, of Karrinyup, said.

Ms Jack is lobbying for an Olympic-sized beach pool in the State Government’s Scarborough beachfront redevelopment and said she was confident it would be considered but a Cottesloe pool would be first in WA.

Merriwa resident Lewis Flood has spent three years pushing for a rectangular 50m long, 30m wide ocean pool at Quinns beach, about 30km north of Cottesloe.

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‘With this ocean pool design there’s no maintenance and it would only need someone coming down each day to see if anything had washed in,’ Mr Flood said.

Mrs Jack and Mr Flood are taking inspiration from the $1.65 million, 75m-long, 25m-wide, rock pool proposed for the north side of Cottesloe groyne, suggested by Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club member Tom Locke.

Mr Locke recently had the design tested by the Centre for Water Research at the University of WA for factors such as regular flushing by waves, winter weed congestion and erosion.

However there has been some opposition to the proposal with some regular swimmers fearing the pool could take up beach and water space, and surfers concerned it could alter the winter surf break at the end of the groyne.

‘My message after 12 years is ‘listen to the scientists’,’ Mr Locke said.

‘We’ve had help from the Centre for Water Research’s Jorg Imberger and the Australian Institute of Sports’ John Bloomfield has looked at the internal design of the pool for use by the disabled.’

He is wants to brief Cottesloe councillors on the design this month.

Cottesloe Mayor Jo Dawkins said the council welcomed a briefing, which could take place as soon as Mr Imberger and Mr Bloomfield were available.