Our Vision

Drones have proven to be a great asset for providing aerial shark surveillance over a large body of water in a convenient/cost-effective way. They require only a small amount of training to operate, are non-invasive, and can easily be transported and launched from virtually anywhere.

 

With a spate of shark attacks on surfers in recent years, SA surfing communities are now more invested than ever before in utilising drone surveillance to enhance safety at regional surfing competitions around the state.

 

With their presence and demand becoming increasingly popular on the global market, we see this as a unique opportunity to coordinate a community shark spotting initiative by building a network of recreational drone operators around the state to host flights at coastal settings experiencing high numbers of shark sightings. The aim of the project is to identify and track sharks and their behaviour, as they frolic around certain coastal locations. With the investment of training, we also aim to promptly perform evacuations in the event of a shark sighting.

1. Host a group of 300 safe, professional, and reliable on-call recreational drone operators conducting flights when a shark sighting is reported in their nearest coastal community to locate and monitor individual sharks of different species populating statewide coastal environments. A designated social media group will be created to host all drone users involved in the project.

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2. Readily provide shark-spotting surveillance for local surfing competitions.

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3. Be granted the funding and assets required to host shark drone patrols along the Adelaide metropolitan coastline outside of patrol hours during populated summer months with a team of 20 licensed drone operators coordinating simultaneous drone patrols from 12pm - 7pm within the radius of Semaphore Beach to Sellicks Beach, and another 10 operators patrolling surfing hotspots on the Yorke and Eyre Peninsula's

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4. Construct a well-curated photographic UAV database of individual sharks documented frolicking at different coastal locations in South Australia.

In South Australia, one of the biggest downfalls of shark bite mitigation is the absence of coordinated shark alerts to the SA public via an online alerts-based system which shares information in a timely and organised fashion. ​

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Shark Watch acknowledges the need to formulate an interconnected network of state government marine sectors coordinating shark alerts to Shark Watch SA that will then direct updates to a state body of recreational and commercial dive and surfing clubs, as well as to our widely followed social media accounts.

 

An ideal scenario is envisioned that when a boater has seen a White Shark near a popular coastal township, the information would be immediately relayed to SWSA from the boater. From this point, SWSA would then forward a report to an interconnected network of government marine representatives and dive and surfing communities for a timely and effective response, potentially resulting in the evacuation of the water and identification of an individual White Shark that can later be referenced for future observations in a photographic repository. An alert would also immediately be broadcast across the SWSA social media accounts for the viewership of the SA public.

1. Effectively coordinate the public correspondence for real-time shark activity with information provided by relevant commercial and recreational contributors around the state.

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2. The well-structured communications network would feature reporters from all over the state, enabling a broad coverage of marine surveillance actively looking out for sharks at any one time.

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3. Share shark sighting updates across the SWSA social media outlets within 10 minutes of a shark sighting for maximum outreach and effectiveness.

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4. Solidify a healthy working relationship with State Surf Rescue bodies to assist in the timely delivery of shark sighting updates to bridge communication gaps between first responders and nearby surf rescue clubs. This will ensure that the timely and effective evacuation of beachgoers within a shark's immediate vicinity is achieved.

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5. Compile shark sighting data into a well-curated visual reference map to identify "hot spots" of heightened shark activity and to identify shark population dispersion in gulf and offshore waters all over South Australia.

We believe that one of the many ways to overcome negative perceptions associated with sharks is through positive and immersive experiences with the ocean. Sharing insightful and information about shark biology and evidence-based assessments of associated risk factors can also help beachgoers gain peace of mind.

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The more people are educated about local shark biology, their predatory and migratory behaviour, as well as fascinating insights about shark anatomy, the more likely we are to adopt healthy and conservative mindsets towards local shark species that will help minimise shark interactions and bites via the practice of sound decision-making.

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South Australia features some of the best beaches and stretches of coastline in the world. South Australia's seafood and tourism sites are world-renowned. ​There are many eco-friendly coastal tourism operators in the state taking advantage of these surroundings to make a living and showcase these fascinating destinations to the rest of the world.

 

As a uniquely South Australian brand with a large social media audience, we endeavour to source profit and funding for our projects by adding to state tourism objectives and helping local coastal eco-tourism operators have a sustainable flow of visitors to their sites by offering their businesses tailored advertising programs. This is what's going to help us achieve our objectives mentioned in the first paragraph above!

1. Upload regular social media posts about shark species found in SA waters, including: their diet, anatomy, migratory behaviour, relative safety risk, and Shark Watch observations through empirical report submissions documented over the years.

 

2.  Improve wording on shark reports to ensure accurate and authentic information is being conveyed to the viewer to minimise sensationalism and hysteria. 

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3. Host special coastal activity events for SWSA "Exclusive Crew" website members by partnering with local eco-tourism operators with at least 6x events being hosted throughout the year.

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4. Have at least 10x different marine tourism operators sponsoring SWSA through tailored advertising programs involving their business name and logo being linked to SWSA website and social media outlets to increase profit flow to state tourism operators and ethical Shark Watch safety and research projects.

As part of our pledge to work more closely with South Australian coastal communities in providing sound shark bite mitigation advice and strategies, we will need to build a dynamic team of shark experts and community engagement ambassadors to present information at a range of public and private events at local schools, surf and dive clubs, and outdoor adventure expositions around the state.

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These presentations offer people of all ages a practical hands-on experience to learn about shark anatomy and shark surveillance technology to facilitate an engaging and exciting approach towards local shark education and bite mitigation strategies.

1. Host numerous events at outdoor adventure and marine-based leisure expositions throughout the year. 

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2. By 2028, we look to have built a team of local shark experts and marine biologists to present sound evidence-based shark bite mitigation recommendations to remote coastal schools at coastal communities prone to experiencing high numbers of shark-related incidents.