Beachgoers left baffled by hundreds of mysterious signs that have appeared along Australia’s coastline

Mysterious coded signs have recently appeared at hundreds of public beaches along Australia’s western coastline, puzzling locals and tourists.

More than 1,700 of the green signposts have been installed on beaches in Western Australia in recent months. 

There is a simple explanation, however, with the signs part of a new safety initiative intended to prevent more people from losing their lives.

The purpose of the signs is to allow beachgoers who need help to quickly and easily convey to emergency services their location along the coast. 

Each sign has a unique identifying code, known as a BEN, which can be quoted on triple-0 calls to pinpoint the area of an emergency.

This will allow responders to rapidly head straight to the scene so that they can save lives if needed. 

The measure was introduced by the City of Mandurah and has since been adopted by 42 other local government authorities across the state.

They get their name from Ben Gerring, a father-to-be who died after a shark bit off half his leg while he was surfing in 2016. 

The 29-year-old was rushed to Royal Perth Hospital but ultimately died of his injuries. 

Each red and green sign contains a unique identifier for the beach it is placed on

Michael Burke from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development  said the signs will be especially useful for future shark attacks. 

‘Becoming familiar with these green and red signs at your favourite beaches is very important in helping emergency services use the unique BEN code when help is needed,’ Mr Burke told Yahoo.

‘Each BEN sign has a unique code that can be quoted in the case of an emergency to support first responders to attend the location as quickly as possible.’

The unique identifying numbers on BEN signs have already been quoted in more than 3,100 distress calls across the state since their introduction in 2023. 

Ben’s brother, Rick, has spent years campaigning for the signs to be installed en-masse.

‘The majority of Australians live on the coast and we love going for swim and surfing and diving, and everything on and under the water,’ Rick told Mandurah Times. 

‘We want tourists to come here, we want people to enjoy the lifestyle.’

Anyone in need of emergency services can quote the BEN code for immediate assistance on whatever beach they are calling from 

Mr Gerring was attacked at the popular Gearies break at Falcon Beach, 80km south of Perth.

 At the time, his family thanked everyone involved in his rescue and treatment at Royal Perth Hospital, particularly fellow beachgoers who rushed to his aid.

‘The guys that actually swam out, to me, they are absolute heroes. They’re just incredible to risk their own lives to go out and get him. And through them, they gave us those days (in hospital) with our boy,’ Shane Gerring told The Sunday Times.

‘They’re angels of the ocean, they really are.’ 

The surfer’s brother Rick also thanked the ‘heroes’ who helped Mr Gerring from the water and emergency services for trying to save him.

‘Ben loved the ocean, but his great love is and always will be Jasmine,’ Rick told reporters on Saturday.

Mr Gerring’s fiancée Jasmine Boyer had been expecting the couple’s first child.

‘We’ve got a lot to deal with now and we’ve got a bub on the way, Ben’s first and the first grandchild for me,’ Mr Gerring’s father said.

The signs get their name from Ben Gerring, 29, who died after being attacked by a shark while surfing in 2016

A 4.2 metre great white shark was later trapped and killed after it was caught on baited drum lines near where Mr Gerring was attacked.

He was pulled from the water at a popular surf break of Gearies near Falcon after a shark attacked him from behind about 4pm in the afternoon.

Western Australia’s Department of Fisheries set baited drum lines at at the site of the attack to trap the shark as part of its controversial serious threat policy.

The department revealed that the shark was caught on and died on the drum line. It was then towed out to sea and dumped after samples and measurements were taken.