Shark tracking: do South West Rocks and Crescent Head surfers feel safe?

On Friday, August 25 Toby Begg was attacked by a great white shark at Port Macquarie's Lighthouse Beach on August 25,surviving with serious injuries.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) program for the Kempsey Local Government Area includes two tagged shark listening stations and two Surf Life Saving NSW drones for surveillance and tracking.

While Port Macquarie uses SMART (Shark Management Alert in Real Time) drumlines, Kempsey Local Government Area does not.

One listening station (yellow buoy) is located out from the headland of Horseshoe Bay and Main Beach, and the other at Crescent Head beach.

When a tagged target shark (being a White, Tiger or Bull shark) swims within 500m of a listening station, an alert is sent to the public via Twitter and the SharkSmart App.

Mid North Coast patrolled beaches also utilise the advantage point of drones for spotting sharks that come close to shore.

South West Rocks and Crescent Head surf life saving clubs have been operating shark surveillance drones since 2021, with an active drone patrol schedule throughout all seasons, not just the warmer months.

During winter drones were flying at South West Rocks and Crescent Head's patrolled beaches from July 2 - 17. However there were no operators in August.

According to the NSW DPI drone patrol schedule, operations in South West Rocks and Crescent Head will recommence from September 25 to October 9.

There's a break in November before they take flight again from December 21 into the new year.

Shark nets in NSW are only found in the waters between Newcastle to Woolongong and are not used on the Mid North Coast or further north.

Clare Dennis, Jakeb Love, Louis Hogno and Alex Dalley are just a some of the surfers in the area who chase waves up and down our coastline.

They say there is always a risk of coming in close contact with a shark when surfing, but this won't stop them getting in the water. They do, however, want that risk to stay low.

"It's their home [and] we are playing in it," Mr Hogno said.

"If you're going to get hit there's no stopping it; [It's] luck of the draw."

Ms Dennis believes it is possible to create a balance between using innovative technology to monitor sharks and reduce the risk of harm to humans, without disturbing the shark's habit and environment.

"I think if there was a significant increase in the amount of shark attacks in our area people would want to look at ways to reduce the risk," she said.

Mr Love puts importance on a scientific understanding of the shark to decrease risk of a person being attacked.

"Perhaps we could confirm or rule out the common suspicions people have," Mr Love said.

"[For example], that sharks follow the whale migration, [that] sharks come closer to shore depending on fish movement and population...[that the] shark population has increased or decreased due to fishing activities.

"Ideally we try to get the best picture of what's happening and what factors we can consider to support both a healthy ocean and an informed perspective when entering the water."

After over 15 years of surfing on the Mid North Coast, Mr Dalley says he is yet to see a shark surveillance drone flown overhead while in the water.

"I accept that risk when I enter the water and I'm most certainly not going to seek out a beach with a drone operating or a shark net in the water," he said.

Mr Dalley believes nets are 'ineffective' when keeping people safe and instead cause harm to sea life.

"They are often left for extended periods without efficient monitoring and this has proven to be the death of many sea creatures they are not intended for," he said.

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