Surf Life Saving uses drones to spot sharks and wildlife off our beaches. Photo: SLS Illawarra.
Beaches across NSW — including Wollongong — will see more drones in the sky, earlier patrols and longer coverage this summer, with the State Government injecting $2.5 million into expanding its shark mitigation program.
Surf boardrider clubs will have immediate access to more shark surveillance drones through their peak body Surfing NSW, while Surf Life Saving’s drones will be in operation one week earlier than planned from 13 December and be extended to the end of March 2026.
This additional funding builds on top of the NSW Government’s existing $21.4 million annual Shark Management Program, which already funds Surf Life Saving NSW’s (SLSNSW) drone surveillance at 50 beaches during the school holidays.
Along with extending drone coverage and in-air time, the mitigation program will also provide a stronger public awareness campaign, and triple the size of the community shark bite kit rollout program at isolated and unpatrolled beaches to enhance the first aid response for anyone bitten.
Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steve Pearce said he welcomed the boost to keep beaches as safe as possible.
“Last summer alone, 50 Surf Life Saving NSW drones flying from Tweed to Bega completed 18,027 flights over 4897 flying hours,” Mr Pearce said.
“During that time, 815 sharks were sighted including 41 bull sharks, 45 white sharks and 729 unknown sharks.
“Our lifeguards and lifesavers enacted 115 countermeasures including 88 beach evacuations plus other countermeasures including beach siren, drone siren, and IRB (inflatable rescue boats)/RWC (rescue water craft).”
NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said she met with Maria and Mike Psillakis who were tragically impacted by the death of their husband and brother, Mercury, at Dee Why Beach in September following a shark attack.
“We spoke about increasing protection for boardriders and recognising the role of surfers in beach safety as a legacy for Mercury,” Ms Moriarty said.
“This is why the Minns Government is now increasing funding for Surfing NSW so they can roll out a comprehensive drones and training program for their many clubs between Newcastle and Wollongong, as a significant contribution to honouring his legacy.”
She said the government was always looking to improve its shark mitigation program to reduce interactions of swimmers and boardriders with sharks, with the drones and training program a key part of that.
“Drones have shown to be an effective eye in the sky when it comes to early shark detection and warning beach users,” she said.
“While there is no 100 per cent safeguard to protect people from shark interactions, a mix of technologies and public awareness will increase safety.”
Surfing NSW CEO Lucas Townsend said for Mercury and the Psillakis family, turning a tragic event into recognition and support for the role surfers played in keeping beaches safer was an incredible legacy.
“Boardrider clubs are the heartbeat of coastal communities, and our members are on the beach 365 days a year, at unpatrolled times and locations,” Mr Townsend said.
“Our role is to complement Surf Life Saving’s patrol season. This investment helps us boost coverage in those gaps and lift our capability to keep surfers and beachgoers safer, year-round.”
He said since 2022, Surfing NSW had worked with the government and DPIRD on surfer-led drone surveillance and shark trauma response in regional surf communities, training more than 90 volunteer drone pilots and placing more than 500 trauma kits into boardriding clubs and surf schools.
The government will also provide funding for an additional 150 Community Shark Bite Kits to be placed at beaches outside of metropolitan areas – an initiative of Danny Schouten, whose mate Kai McKenzie was attacked by a shark while surfing at Port Macquarie in 2024.
Mr Schouten said these kits contained a tourniquet, compression bandages, dressings, a thermal blanket, whistle, gloves and first aid instructions for a serious bite injury.
“Survival shouldn’t be left up to chance or luck. We know people can be saved if a tourniquet is applied quickly,” he said.
“I’m stoked that the NSW Government is helping give us ocean-loving Australians the resources we need to hopefully save someone’s life in the future.
“We’re not going to stop doing what we love, surfing and swimming is engrained in the Australian culture; we just need to be better prepared for when these accidents happen.
“The Community Shark Bite Kits are important to ensure our mates, families and neighbours have quick access to the right first aid equipment that could be the difference in saving a life.”
The new funding will also see a SharkSmart education program across social media, the SharkSmart van and trailer doing pop-up sessions at NSW beaches to deliver information and support to beachgoers, and QR-coded ‘SharkSmart’ posters at beaches.
