iscover
The Queensland government says its expanded SharkSmart drone program has spotted almost 150 sharks this summer across six newly-monitored beaches.
More than 545 drone flights have been conducted at the new beaches over the past four months, with the program spotting more than 862 sharks in total across its 16 monitored sites. The expansion follows a successful trial by Surf Life Saving Queensland from 2020 to 2024.
This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.
A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans.
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
The newly-patrolled beaches are Kirra Beach, Gold Coast; Cylinder Beach, North Stradbroke Island; Tangalooma, Moreton Island (summer and Easter school holidays); Kings Beach, Sunshine Coast; Kelly’s Beach, Bundaberg; and Agnes Water Main Beach.
Drones operate on weekends, public holidays and Queensland school holidays, with 20-minute flights twice per hour until roughly midday, varying depending on weather conditions.
According to Queensland Minister for Primary Industries, Tony Perrett, the expansion has boosted safety at some of the state’s busiest beaches.
“We boosted the investment into the Shark Control Program by 151 per cent, resulting in more than $88 million of additional funding over the life of the plan to return it to its primary purpose; to protect swimmers at select beaches from shark attacks,” Minister Perrett said.
“Importantly, 60 per cent of the new investment delivers the non-lethal and innovative solutions that have been a key feature of the strengthened Shark Management Plan 2025-2029.
“The Crisafulli Government made a commitment to double its drone program to 20 beaches for the 2026–27 season and we are well on track to delivering – if not exceeding – that commitment to Queenslanders’ safety.
“We’re particularly proud to be expanding the drone surveillance program across our iconic beaches on the southern Gold Coast, where we’ve been able to obtain all the relevant permits to allow drone flights in restricted airspace.”
Drones are increasingly in use as a tool by surf lifesavers, with SLS NSW last year signing a memorandum of understanding with Babcock to explore long-range drone monitoring.
The agreement will see the two organisations look into using drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) to modernise SLSNSW’s coastal operations and “radically transform the state’s surf lifesaving operations into a broader national asset for disaster prevention, response, and recovery”.
“Primary areas of focus will include improving air observation and intelligence-gathering capabilities for search and rescue, environmental monitoring, shark watch, national disaster relief RPAS services and maritime operations that mitigate the need for traditional rotary wing operations,” they said in a media release.
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Australian Aviation a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Australian Aviation as a preferred news source.
