Kathrine Frich
Jet skis and a newly approved drone are now patrolling the waters.
Long summer days draw huge crowds to the ocean shoreline.
Most visitors jump straight into the surf without a second thought about what lies beneath the breaking waves.
Then, a sudden tragedy forces everyone to look at the water differently.
A terrifying weekend
A 35-year-old woman suffered serious injuries at Coogee Beach on Saturday, June 13. A large shark attacked her roughly 30 meters from the sand.
Bystanders quickly rushed into the water to pull her out. Local council officials and Surf Life Saving NSW confirmed she was airlifted to a hospital in a stable condition.
The frightening incident has sparked intense questions about local safety protocols. While 14 other Sydney beaches had shark-spotting drones flying overhead that morning, Coogee remained completely unmonitored from the air.
Strict rules to blame
The lack of aerial surveillance comes down to strict aviation laws. Coogee sits directly beneath the flight path for Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport.
Standard rules from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority stopped officials from flying safety drones over the popular swimming spot. These regulations exist to protect passenger airplanes.
Following the attack, aviation officials finally granted a temporary exemption. NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty told Women’s Agenda that the state government wants this change to stay.
“They haven’t been able to use them over Coogee because of the airport. The temporary exemption has been granted and we’ll work with them and CASA to see that it can be made permanent,” Moriarty said.
Grieving families demand action
This is the second major attack near Sydney in under a year. A great white shark killed 57-year-old surfer Mercury Psillakis at Long Reef Beach last September.
His grieving family is urging the government to immediately expand the drone program. Mike Psillakis told The Greek Herald that current gaps leave entire stretches of the coast blind.
“We can’t afford to have any more attacks or lives lost. They need to be on every city beach, even in unpatrolled times, so warnings can be triggered a lot earlier. We need to protect human life, that’s the number one priority,” he said.
Weighing up the options
Coogee Beach reopened to the public on Monday. Jet skis and a newly approved drone are now patrolling the waters.
State leaders are reviewing every possible safety measure right now. When asked about potential shark culls, Moriarty simply said, “Nothing is off the table.”
Shark encounters are increasing across the country. According to wire data published by The Star, Australia averages roughly 29 incidents a year.
Sources: Surf Life Saving NSW, Women’s Agenda, The Greek Herald, The Star
