FORSTER Surf Life Saving Club president John Quinn has welcomed the DPI’s shark research project for Northern NSW, saying that any research which might lead to “some kind of early shark warning system would be good.”
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
RELATED CONTENT: Tracking sharks will protect public...click here
He said that while fixed wing plane surveillance was helpful it was not the only answer as sharks that might not have been there during the patrol might move in from deeper waters an hour later.
Anecdotally he was not aware of swimmers and surfing numbers dropping off in the Great Lakes as a result of the shark attacks further north.
“We’re lucky because we butt into the coast a bit. We’ve got Seal Rocks and Cape Hawke which protect us and keep the currents further out to sea,” Mr Quinn said.
Mr Quinn added that big sharks such as great whites follow the food source, which generally follow the currents unless “a whale or something big is sick and comes closer to shore and the shark follows it.”
“Everyone knows that they are out there. You just have to be aware. The most important thing is to always paddle with a friend.”
It is a lesson enforced only last Saturday, when Dale Carr from Port Macquarie was attacked by what the Department of Primary Industries suspect is a great white shark, approximately 2.7metres in length. Sustaining serious injuries to his buttocks and thigh, the bodyboarder was helped to the shore by the friend he was in the water with. He is now in a stable condition.
“No matter how young or old you are, you should always paddle with a friend. It’s one of the first lessons of surf safety.”
