It’s beach season, and that means swimming – and sharks.
Last weekend, only a week after Surf Life Saving SA began aerial patrols of suburban and Fleurieu Peninsula beaches from its helicopter, scuba diver Dean Brougham punched and kicked his way free from a vicious shark attack at Second Valley.
He sustained only minor injuries to his arms and legs. SA’s last shark attack death was four years ago, when 23-year-old marine biologist Jarrod Stehbens was taken while diving for cuttlefish eggs off Glenelg.
High-risk times for attacks are dawn and dusk, although in an average year only one Australian dies from a shark attack and statistically a person is more likely to die rock fishing.
Even so, aerial patrols around the Australian coast are seen as vital. There could have been many more deaths without them, say state and local governments.
But during the attack and despite the heatwave which drew tens of thousands into the waters of the Gulf and the Southern Ocean, SA’s fixed-wing plane was still on the ground.
On Monday morning the Government maintained that due to contractual issues it would stick to its November 30 start date for patrols. By Tuesday, with a lucky Dean
Brougham still recovering from his wounds, these “contractual issues” were resolved and the plane was launched.
“As the mercury rises, as we are seeing this week especially, the safety of beachgoers is paramount,” Emergency Services Minister Michael Wright said.
The buzz of a plane overhead is a comfort to Adelaide beach-goers in summer. The sound implies protection and reassurance to parents worried about the unlikely event that their child will be dragged underwater and eaten.
But comfort may be all it is. Surf Life Saving SA lifesaving manager Andrew Bedford said while the fixed-wing plane made the public feel safe, he does not believe it’s effective. He advocates helicopter patrols – more expensive, he said, but more effective.
SA beaches are patrolled by fixed-wing plane and the Westpac rescue helicopter, which is operated through Surf Life Saving SA. Already this year, patrols have recorded an unusually high number of shark sightings.
The Government says the fixed-wing plane, which runs seven days a week from 11am to 8pm, will “maximise safety on our shores” and UniSA, which runs the plane, says it will “save lives”.
If the plane’s crew spots something in the water, the aircraft orbits the spot and informs the police, who then liaise with Surf Life Saving SA.
“In my personal opinion the fixed-wing plane is not effective, although they’re better than nothing,” Mr Bedford said. “It cannot always confirm what it sees is a shark and though it may not be accurate, a lot of our resources are used up responding to the alerts just in case.”
While the fixed-wing plane has a turning circle of 2km, the rescue helicopter run by Surf Life Saving SA is able to stop, hover and chase sharks out to sea.
“It costs more to run a helicopter,” Mr Bedford said. “But we’d all like to see the helicopter up for seven days a week because in our experience it is a better spotter.”
Because of this week’s heat, the Westpac rescue helicopter has patrolled daily. But, said Mr Bedford, with only a limited numbers of helicopter hours available its flights need careful rationing.
The UniSA fixed-wing plane, now in its fourth season, is equipped with a siren and loud speaker to warn the public if it believes a shark has been spotted.
NSW coastal shires rejected fixed-wing aerial patrols along their beaches, increasing instead their funding to surf lifesavers on the ground.
“It’s spasmodic and there is no real certainty that the planes will be spotting at the times that are relevant,” Bega Valley shire mayor Tony Allen told The Independent Weekly. “The returns weren’t worth the investment.
“It is vital that we maximise safety on our shores and ensure that our metropolitan beaches are covered seven days a week over the peak summer period and at times of high risk.”
In Adelaide on Wednesday, the fixed-wing plane recorded six possible shark sightings and swimmers were cleared from the water three times.
SA University head of aviation Stephen Phillips runs the fixed-wing program and said there are no problems spotting sharks.
“It depends on the conditions, but we are trying to spot a shark of a reasonable size, not a small fish, so by and large it is not particularly difficult,” Mr Phillips said.
UniSA holds the contract to supply aircraft and crew for the next three summer seasons. Mr Phillips said the Cessna 172 was chosen because it had good visibility.
Surf Life Saving SA said to ensure their own safety, beach-goers should swim with other people between the flags, avoid swimming at dawn, dusk or night and stay in clear water away from schools of fish.
And to say the obvious, beach-goers must never swim while bleeding, or if they know there is a shark in the water.
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