Case study of
#00069 Real-time drone (UAV) aerial surveillance with lifeguard alerting
New South Wales, Australia
#00065
Implementer
Surf Life Saving NSW, with NSW DPIRD (SharkSmart)
Timeline
Since Dec 1, 2021
Location
Description
Surf Life Saving NSW has flown shark-surveillance drones at up to roughly 50 NSW beaches each summer since December 2021 under the NSW Shark Management Program, with trained pilots clearing the water when a dangerous shark is sighted. In December 2025–January 2026 the NSW Government added a 6.7 million AUD enhancement (following an earlier 2.5 million AUD boost), funding around 30 more drones, extended summer operations into late April, a Surfing NSW club drone roll-out, and 150 additional Community Shark Bite Kits.
Metrics
3Funding
Lessons learned
- Detection drops sharply in murky water and the program is grounded by wind, rain, and storms — clear-water surf beaches are the optimal deployment context.
- No bites have been recorded at monitored beaches while drones and SMART drumlines are actively deployed, but coverage is limited to patrolled hours and the area overflown — gaps in time and space remain a structural constraint.
- The same patrol flights provide secondary value by locating rip-current swimmers and missing persons, increasing cost-effectiveness of each sortie.
Documented Jun 26, 2026
History
No history yet
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