Tweed Shire Council is calling for additional funding from the State Government to expand drone surveillance across the Tweed Coast.
It comes after a surfer had a terrifyingly close call with a shark that took a huge chunk of out his surfboard at Cabarita Beach on Monday morning.
“While he did not sustain any major injuries, it is clear that there is increased shark activity in the area,” Tweed Mayor Chris Cherry said, with the beach also at the centre of another shark attack which saw a 16-year-old boy suffer serious injuries two months ago.
The beach reopened on Tuesday after drone surveillance showed that it was safe, however Council says that under existing funding, drone surveillance only occurs at Cabarita Beach during school holidays or as needed.
There are also 15 SMART drumlines in the area, one of which caught a 5 metre Great White shark shortly after the incident on Monday.
In response to this week’s shark encounter, an additional two SMART drumlines have now been placed at Cabarita Beach.
But Cr Cherry admits it’s not enough and is calling for increased drone surveillance of the area, arguing it would make both locals and visitors feel safer in the water.
“While we understand there are inherent risks in swimming and surfing in our oceans, if there are steps that we can take to make it safer, then it makes sense for us to try and take these steps, particularly at busy beaches like Cabarita Beach and Kingscliff,” Cr Cherry said.
