Tips for each water activity

Fishers and boaties

Follow our tips to reduce your risk:

• Don’t fish or clean fish in areas where people swim. Fishing bait can attract sharks.
• Keep your fish scraps out of the water where people swim. Take scraps with you when you leave.
• Throw your rubbish in the bin, not overboard.
• Do not feed, touch or provoke sharks.
• Don’t swim in harbours, canals or anchorages where boats are moored.

Swimmers

Follow our tips to reduce your risk:

• Swim between the flags where lifesavers can look out for you.
• If there’s no flagged area, follow local signage and guidelines.
• Swim with a buddy.
• Avoid swimming at dawn or dusk
• Avoid murky water and don’t swim in harbours, canals, estuaries and river mouths, especially after heavy rainfall.
• Don’t swim in harbours, canals or anchorages where boats are moored.
• Don’t swim in areas where people fish or clean fish.
• If it looks fishy, it could be sharky. Leave the water if you see schools of bait fish or diving birds.
• Stay away from sandbars or steep drop-offs where sharks may feed.
• Do not feed, touch or provoke sharks.

Surfers

Follow our tips to reduce your risk:

• Surf where lifesavers can look out for you.
• If there’s no patrolled beach, follow local signage and guidelines.
• Surf with a buddy.
• Avoid surfing at dawn or dusk
• Avoid murky water, especially after heavy rainfall.
• Surf in clear water where you have good visibility.
• If it looks fishy, it could be sharky. Leave the water if you see schools of bait fish or diving birds.
• Surf away from river mouths, sandbars or steep drop-offs where sharks may feed.
• Do not feed, touch or provoke sharks.

Snorkellers and divers

Follow our tips to reduce your risk:

• Snorkel or dive with a buddy.
• Have a dive plan. Agree hand signals and how to enter and leave the water with your buddy before you dive.
• Avoid snorkelling or diving at dawn or dusk.
• Snorkel and dive in clear water where you have good visibility.
• If it looks fishy, it could be sharky. Leave the water if you see schools of bait fish or diving birds.
• Be careful of steep drop-offs where sharks feed.
• Don’t snorkel or dive in areas where people fish or clean fish.
• Do not feed, touch or provoke sharks.
• Consider first aid training and have a first aid kit.

Spearfishers

Follow our tips to reduce your risk:

• Do not have fish near your body. Tow your catch in a float well behind you.
• Aim to kill your fish quickly. Bring your catch to the surface and quickly remove it from the water.
• Always spearfish with a buddy or group.
• Have a plan with your buddy. Agree hand signals and how to enter and leave the water.
• Avoid spearfishing at dawn or dusk.
• Spearfish in clear water where you have good visibility.
• If it looks fishy, it could be sharky. Stay away from schools of bait fish or diving birds.
• Be careful of steep drop-offs where sharks may feed.
• If you see a shark, stay calm, release your catch and leave the water. Move to a new site if continuing spearfishing.
• Do not feed, touch or provoke sharks.
• Consider first aid training and have a first aid kit.