4 August 2026

Boaters, fishers and families learn to Make the Right Call at Karratha’s FeNaClNG Festival

For plenty of Karratha locals, a good weekend starts with the car loaded up, the fishing gear packed and a boat in tow. Over the weekend, Royal Life Saving WA returned to the annual FeNaClNG Festival for a second year to connect with locals from across the region and help put safer choices on the itinerary.

Health Promotion Officers Tneale Maher and Georgia Williams were there alongside representatives from the WA Government’s Marine Safety and Fisheries teams, chatting with over 600 festivalgoers amid the food trucks, entertainment and community celebrations.

The team shared water safety advice through the Make the Right Call program, which focuses on the everyday choices people make before swimming, boating or fishing. Locals were encouraged to check the conditions, pack the right safety equipment, wear a lifejacket and leave alcohol until after aquatic activities.

The Old4New Lifejacket Upgrade Program encouraged boaters and fishers to give their lifejackets a once-over and replace old, bulky or damaged gear that was no longer up to the job. Younger festivalgoers also learnt how to Be a Mermate by having their friends’ backs and speaking up when something did not feel safe around the water.

“Across the weekend, we spoke with lots of families, boaters and fishers who were eager to learn more, share their experiences and make sure they were well-prepared with the right information and equipment,” shared Georgia.

Festivalgoers also had the chance to enter a raffle to win a 4WD Outback First Aid Kit valued at $200 through a quick survey about their boating and water safety habits. One lucky family took home the prize and plans to keep it in their car, helping them stay prepared for future road trips and family adventures.

For many living in the Pilbara, time around the water is part of everyday life. Weekends often mean heading out on the boat, dropping a fishing line or visiting a favourite swimming hole with family and friends.

But these everyday activities also come with a greater risk. Royal Life Saving WA’s 2024 WA Drowning Report found that drowning incidents were twice as likely to occur in regional WA as in the Perth metropolitan area, with swimming, aquatic recreation and fishing among the activities most commonly involved.

Returning to FeNaClNG gave Tneale and Georgia another opportunity to speak with locals face-to-face and bring practical water safety advice into everyday conversations. From checking an old lifejacket to planning ahead before leaving home, the festival showed that making the right call can begin with one simple conversation.

The Make the Right Call program is proudly supported by the Department of Health WA.

Learn more about what it means to Make the Right Call around the water.