Parents of City Beach nippers take up drone training to protect next generation from shark attacks 

Parents have been offering to learn to fly drones in an effort to better protect popular swimming spots such as City Beach from the threat of shark attack this summer.

City of Perth Surf Life Saving Club president Eoghan McKenna said qualified volunteers will boost aerial surveillance at the beach when the nippers season begins on October 25.

Earlier this month, a 13m whale carcass washed up on South City Beach, attracting white sharks perilously close to the shore and forcing the closer of the beach because of public safety concerns.

Mr McKenna said the nipper season would start on time and hoped the drone program would help alleviate concerns.

“We are bolstering our air surveillance with the number of drone flights that will be running on the weekends, and the amount of mobile service equipment that will be in the water to ensure everybody’s safety,” he said.

“We have actually had a lot of people put their hand up this year to say, hey, we want to be part of the drone program . . . that’s everybody from nipper parents to patrol seasoned lifesavers, and we have a pathway to get them qualified.

“We’ve bolstered a number of drone operators as a result of the whale and the sharks and things like that. We’ll have one drone, and when conditions allow, we will have that drone in the air over 400-500m stretch between the groins, providing air surveillance.”

It took days for the Town of Cambridge to arrange a crane to remove the dead humpback, which was trucked away and dumped at Red Hill Waste Management facility on October 1. The mammal weighed about 18 tonnes when it was removed.

Authorities warned that the dead whale could attract sharks weeks after its removal because fluids had leaked into the water. Beaches reopened on October 7.

Mr McKenna said that there hadn’t been any shark sightings at City Beach as of Friday afternoon and the number of nippers registrations hadn’t fallen.

“None of the beacons have been set off,” he said.

“We are a surf club first and foremost, and part of the surf club is the nippers program, and that’s where our next generation of lifesavers come from.

“Whales live in the water, sharks live in the water — they are marine creatures. It’s an aquatic environment in which the nippers take part in.”

Mr McKenna said the director of the nippers program will meet with the patrol captain and others before each nippers class to assess the risk.

He said he understood why people were “cautious” about entering the water but wanted to reassure the community safety measures were in place.

The whale washed ashore weeks after 63-year-old swimmer Greg O’Neill was attacked by a suspected 5m white shark at Sorrento Beach on September 18.

Mr O’Neill was just 15m from the shore when he was mauled and taken out to the depths in front of horrified beachgoers.

His body has not been recovered. He was the third person killed in a shark attack in WA this year.

The State Government has since announced a further $5 million to be spent on shark mitigation strategies this year, bringing total spending to $12m.

The boost will bolster helicopter patrols, increasing flying hours by 378 hours in the metropolitan area and 409 hours in the South West.

It also includes $200,000 towards assessing the feasibility of AI-assisted drones that are being tested in NSW and Queensland, which could eventually add to the fleet of 38 drones at 19 clubs.

Recurring metro local government initiatives to reduce the risk of shark attacks include the Town of Cottesloe’s annual shark barrier, which was installed on Wednesday after a delay due to weather.

At City of Cockburn’s Coogee Beach, an eco-shark barrier is deployed year round.

A barrier at Quinns Beach was also being installed this past week and the City of Fremantle is expected to install one at Bathers Beach swimming enclosure later this month.

A spokesperson for the Town of Cambridge, in late September, said they were not proposing a swimming beach enclosure at City Beach or Floreat.

Surf Life Saving WA president Heidi Gan recently addressed community concern about sharks and claimed the peak body was committed to keeping people safe.

“This recent attack at Sorrento Beach and the increased shark activity seen along our coastline in recent weeks have created fear and eroded the confidence of beachgoers across our State,” she said.

“As the peak coastal safety body, Surf Life Saving Western Australia is committed to delivering key lifesaving services that help keep West Australian beachgoers safe.

“Simply put, the more services we have on the beaches and in the air, and the longer they operate, the more threats we will identify, and the more lives we can save.”

Fisheries Minister Jackie Jarvis has backed the Government’s response ahead of the summer season.