Next week shark surveillance drones will be up in the air at Tathra and Pambula main beaches, giving beachgoers a piece of mind when enjoying the water this summer.
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Twenty surf club members of Pambula and Tathra attended The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) and Surf Life Saving Australia’s (SLSA) drone training course over the weekend December 8 – 9.
The weekend training was a combination of flying skills and marine object spotting as well as understanding aviation rules and codes.
Their newly acquired skills enable them to operate the drones during patrol hours at Tathra and Pambula main beaches.
Director of Lifesaving Far South Coast Branch Cheryl McCarthy said the goal is to launch the drones every hour during patrols.
“The lifeguards during the week might be able to get them up more than that, but the volunteers on weekends will have them up at a minimum of every hour,” she said.
The drones are designed to remain in line of sight, Ms McCarthy said the surveillance will be limited to Tathra and Pambula only.
“We can’t just fly them to other locations, although we do have the capacity to take one offline and take it to another location if their is an incident” she said.
There are 18 locations across the state which are part of the DPI’s shark surveillance program, once the trial is complete and data is collected, Ms McCarthy said it is likely the program will expand.
“They are a brilliant new tool for us. The primary use is to keep our beachgoers safe from sharks, we will also be gathering valuable data for the DPI and their scientists on the movement of sharks and other animals in the sea.”
Tathra and Pambula surf clubs have received two drones each and will partake in the shark surveillance program through to the end of February.
The program is funded through the $16 million NSW Government Shark Management Strategy after successful trials took place on the north coast last summer.
Other shark management technology which has recently been proposed for Tathra and Merimbula are SMART (Shark Management Alert in Real Time) drumlines.
The DPI recently set up community drop-in stands at Pambula and Tathra surf clubs. From a surf club perspective, Ms McCarthy encourages the community to gain a clear understanding of the SMART drumlines.
“After attending a meeting with the DPI at Tathra our message has been to encourage people to get informed.
“People have a perception of what drumlines are – which is not necessarily correct once you get information on them,” Ms McCarthy said.
“Our members will be asked questions by beachgoers, so we have been encouraging them to get informed and understand what they are, then they can talk about the pros and cons of drumlines knowledgeably.”