Esperance residents are begging holiday-makers to steer clear of slippery rocks after a New South Wales man died at almost the same place another visitor lost his life just four months ago.
Police said the 44-year-old was taking pictures of dolphins at Chapmans Point, only kilometres from the town centre, when he fell from rocks into the water on Sunday.
Esperance Surf Life Saving duty officer Chris Brien said five members of the man's family were at the scene.
Police said one of them threw a life ring, but the man did not see it.
Despite Esperance Police, Surf Life Saving and Marine Search and Rescue rushing to help, the man was unable to be saved.
On September 11 last year, a 29-year-old man died at the same point, when he too fell off the rocks while taking photographs.
Since 2010, 18 people have lost their lives off the Esperance coast.
Waves were 'fairly thick and fast'
Mr Brien said he was called to the incident at 11.41am.
By the time he arrived the man had already been in the water about 10 minutes, battling rough conditions — a 2-metre swell with a 12-second interval.
"The waves were coming in fairly thick and fast," he said.
"It was quite a hairy place to be in the water there."
He said he believed the person could swim and did so for about five minutes after falling in.
But he said the man was unconscious by the time he arrived.
He said the man's body was recovered by a surf lifesaver who swam to retrieve him.
Safety major concern for locals
The tragedy has again raised questions about what more can be done to keep people away from the region's deadly rocks.
Mr Brien is part of the Esperance Coastal Safety group, which aims to raise awareness through safety messages via pamphlets, a website, social media and word of mouth.
He said local people could help by warning tourists when they saw them in dangerous places.
"My wife and I and my son did exactly that on Christmas Day," he said.
"We called eight people off the rock [at nearby Salmon Beach]."
Some have also called for more obvious signage, written in more languages, but Mr Brien said all current signage met strict regulations.
"It goes through a rigorous testing process so the signs have to be recognised by quite a lot of people of different backgrounds before they can be used as Australian standard signage," he said.
Some have also suggested painting a line on the rocks, as a visual reminder not to get too close.
Shire President Ian Mickel says the proposal is still being considered.
Anyone with ideas about how to make the coastline safer should contact the shire.
"Whether there is one person coming to Esperance or thousands coming to Esperance, we want to make sure everyone is safe," Mr Mickel said.
