Shark Watch Certified for Commercial Drone Operations

Anton Covino with his new DJI shark spotting drone on its maiden test flight at Sellicks Beach.

Shark Watch SA, CEO, Anton Covino, has finally obtained his Remote Operators Certificate (ReOC) after completing his Remote Pilots License (RePL) with Droneit Group in September.

The certification will enable Shark Watch SA to fly drones commercially once the appropriate level of funding has been achieved to provide aerial support along South Australia's vast stretches of coastline.

In December 2025, Anton put together one of the states largest drone shark spotting projects worth $500,000. This has the potential to employ up to 20 people and provide populated stretches of coastline around the state with more consistent aerial coverage to watch out for sharks within the vicinity of swimmers and surfers. The plan works out to be 70% more effective than the current traditional fixed-wing patrol which operates up and down Adelaide's metropolitan coast to the Murray Mouth, daily during the Summer holiday period up until Autumn. The project is also significantly cheaper.

Anton says the RePL and ReOC certification now opens up the door for this project to be put into action providing the appropriate level of funding can be met. In the meantime, the 29 year old will rely off crowdsourced donations to help cover the cost of patrols along Adelaide's mid-coast and on the Southern Fleurieu Peninsula where Alexandrina District Council and Onkaparinga Council have already given the all clear for operations to commence.

These are exciting developments that couldn't have come at a better time with Summer just around the corner. Together alongside Korella Aerial Solutions, he's hoping a number of parties will get behind the initiative to fund regular drone patrols on Adelaide's mid-coast and Southern Fleurieu Peninsula. In the event of a shark sighting, Anton will attempt to inform the swimmers by using a siren and report the information to SAPOL as advised. Photo and video footage will then be uploaded straight to the SWSA sites for the greatest reach among community members. It will also be stored in the organisation's shark sighting data-base for research purposes. Patrols start from $350 and can be funded via the "Drone Surveillance" webpage on the Shark Watch SA website.