The government of Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) has said it will be spending millions of dollars to considerably expand drone flights over the state’s beaches this summer as part of its wider tech push to monitor sharks approaching popular swimming and surfing spots.
The expansion of drone flights over beaches by trained NSW lifeguards is the marquee measure in the state’s reinforced shark surveillance effort. The move will significantly expand what has been a very effective and popular program of using uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) to keep watch for the potentially dangerous creatures nearing shorelines – an initiative launched just three years ago. The state’s main lifeguarding association, Surf Life Saving NSW, has won plaudits from politicians and the public alike for piloting the craft to spot approaching sharks. They’ve also grabbed headlines for spotting swimmers in trouble and dropping life preservers to keep them afloat until rescuers can…
