SharkSmart drone trial

If a shark is spotted

If a potentially dangerous shark is spotted:

• the drone flies lower and follows the shark
• lifesavers and lifeguards can evacuate the water and temporarily close the beach if required.

Locations

• Burleigh Beach, Gold Coast
• Kurrawa Beach, Gold Coast
• Main Beach, Gold Coast
• Minjerribah (Main Beach), North Stradbroke Island
• Woorim Beach, Bribie Island (summer holidays only)
• Alexandra Headland, Sunshine Coast
• Coolum North, Sunshine Coast
• Noosa Main Beach, Sunshine Coast
• Rainbow Beach, Cooloola Coast
• Alma Bay, Magnetic Island

Operating times

Drones operate on weekends, public holidays and Queensland school holidays.

The hours of operation vary depending on weather conditions, but usually drone flights start when beach patrol opens in the morning, and drones fly twice every hour, until around midday. Each flight is approximately 20 minutes.

At Woorim Beach on Bribie Island, drones operate during the summer school holidays only.

To find out whether drones are operating, look for the drone operator, signage and the landing/take-off zone marked out on the beach.

Noise

Unlike helicopters, planes or larger drones, the drones used in the SharkSmart drone trial are very quiet and do not create excessive noise that would affect local residents or beachgoers.

Apart from taking off and landing on the beach, drones are deployed to fly over water, well away from nearby residents.

Your privacy – video footage and images

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, in partnership with Surf Life Saving Queensland, uses drones to collect aerial footage for research into the effectiveness of drones as a shark bite mitigation tool.

Images of people may be captured incidentally by video during the trial. Cameras on drones are directed to monitor the ocean, not people on the beach or nearby residences. Video recording is switched off during drone take-off and landing on the beach.

Sometimes video footage may be released publicly via the SharkSmart website or media for education and communication purposes. Any video footage or photographs released publicly will be carefully reviewed and individuals will be de-identified through blurring or cropping the footage.

Video and images will only be used for these purposes and will not otherwise be used or disclosed unless authorised or required by law. Your personal information will be handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009.

Email scp@daf.qld.gov.au for more information.

About the trial

The SharkSmart drone trial is part of the Queensland Government’s investment in trials of alternative shark mitigation technology, to determine what may be suitable for Queensland coastal conditions.

The SharkSmart drone trial is operated by Surf Life Saving Queensland drone pilots. Pilots hold a Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) and follow Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) requirements. All flights are subject to weather conditions. Pilots follow a set flight plan for each beach, which allows drone footage from different flights to be compared on a like-for-like basis.

Aims

• Detect sharks that could pose a threat to swimmers.
• Warn swimmers of potentially dangerous sharks detected by drones in real time.
• Monitor and record species, size and behaviour of sharks spotted by drones.
• Test the capability of artificial intelligence software and advanced camera technologies to identify sharks in Queensland coastal conditions.

Benefits

• Provide a bird's-eye view of the ocean and what's happening beneath the surface - compared to traditional monitoring by lifesavers and lifeguards from beach towers or water craft.
• Is more cost effective than other beach aerial monitoring, such as helicopter flights.
• Has negligible impact on marine life.
• Real-time monitoring means lifesavers and lifeguards can respond rapidly if a shark or other marine risk is spotted.
• Improves overall beach safety through monitoring marine threats or assisting with rescues.

Limitations

• Drones cannot operate in poor weather (strong winds, rain or storms).
• Drones cannot be operated in restricted airspace—this impacts some beaches near airports.
• Drone monitoring requires highly skilled operators and is labour-intensive.
• Drones are less effective in areas with murky waters, such as some North Queensland beaches.

First phase

The South East Queensland trial ran from September 2020 to October 2021 across 6 beaches:

• Coolum North, Sunshine Coast
• Alexandra Headland, Sunshine Coast
• Main Beach, Gold Coast
• Burleigh Beach, Gold Coast
• Main Beach, North Stradbroke Island
• Alma Bay, Magnetic Island.

The North Queensland trial ran from June 2021 to October 2021 across 2 beaches:

• Palm Cove, Cairns
• Alma Bay, Magnetic Island.

Drones also flew over the summer school holidays from 11 December 2021 to 30 January 2022 in South East Queensland, while the first phase of the trial was under evaluation.

Evaluation

• 3,669 drone flights were conducted, covering 1,468km.
• 174 sharks were sighted, including 48 large sharks estimated at over 2m in length.
• North Stradbroke Island had the highest sighting rate, followed by Burleigh Beach.
• On most occasions the pilots were able to track sharks as they passed through the area with no impact to beach users.
• On 4 occasions the beach was evacuated and closed temporarily to manage the risk to beach users.
• A number of other species were observed, including turtles, manta rays and eagle rays.
• At North Stradbroke Island, marine animals were seen on 82% of all flights.

Community feedback

In April 2021 we compiled a community sentiment report based on:

• 751 responses to a market research survey
• 233 responses to a community online survey
• 1,761 responses to a community online quick poll.

Key findings

• 83 to 98% of respondents supported drones as a shark spotting tool in Queensland.
• 75% of community survey respondents said they are likely to choose a beach with a shark-spotting drone.
• Reasons given for supporting drones include that they ensure swimmer safety, don’t endanger marine life and are a smart use of technology.