Simple signage and high-tech drones will be used to prevent shark attacks in South Australia.

The South Australian government has allocated $500,000 to improve shark attack prevention and response capabilities along the state’s coastline. 

The announcement follows three fatal shark attacks in South Australian waters in the last 12 months - 46-year-old teacher Simon Baccanello who was surfing near Elliston in May, 55-year-old Tod Gendle surfing near Streaky Bay in October, and 15-year-old surfer Khai Cowley who was attacked on the Yorke Peninsula in December. 

The funding will support several initiatives developed in partnership with Surf Life Saving SA, including coastal risk assessments, improved signage, and first aid equipment placement at key locations. 

Trauma kits equipped with essential supplies, such as bandages and tourniquets, will be installed at identified high-risk beaches.  

Drones and drone operator training are also part of the package, aimed at increasing surveillance during community events and other coastal activities. 

Surf Life Saving SA reportedly has 15 drones in use already, and will use the equipment to survey the ocean before swimming and surfing events, and to locate people missing in the ocean. 

The new funding will also help to expand education programs for regional schools, enhancing awareness of shark risks and first aid practices.  

Additionally, aerial shark surveillance will be expanded to more regions, covering community aquatic events from Robe to Whyalla. 

Events such as the Long Cally Swim at Robe and metropolitan activities, including the Brighton Jetty Classic, will benefit from these additional measures.  

The state’s fixed-wing shark patrol program, which monitors high-risk beaches daily from North Haven to Rapid Head, will continue until April 2025. 

Weekend and holiday surveillance along the Fleurieu Peninsula’s south coast will be enhanced, focusing on areas from Waitpinga Beach to the Murray Mouth.  

“Our mainland coastline is as long as those of Victoria and New South Wales combined, and our response must reflect South Australia's vast and often remote conditions,” said Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Clare Scriven.

Premier Peter Malinauskas earlier convened a taskforce to review shark mitigation strategies, which informed the new measures. 

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