Australia is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  People come from all over to rest, play, swim, snorkel, dive, and surf along Australia’s coasts.  The last thing anyone visiting the beach wants to think about is whether or not their day will turn into tragedy.  Australia’s beaches are also known to be frequented by sharks of all sizes.  Beach patrols are constantly on the watch for sharks so they can evacuate the waters if need be.  In recent years the use of drones have made this job much easier.

Australia has become a pioneer in the field of using drones to patrol it’s beaches. There are several companies that provide drone patrols.  One of them is the Lifesaver drone by Little Ripper.  They have designed a variety of single and multi rotor UAVs.  The drones patrol the water ways to monitor for any sharks.  The camera and software on their drones can differentiate between a shark and other non threatening marine life within a 90% accuracy.  This rate of accuracy means that the drones are better at spotting threats than the human eye.  The drones are also equipped with rescue pods on their under carriage.  If a drone detects a threat in the water where a surfer is, for example, the pod can be quickly deployed to aid in rapid rescue measures.

Another company making waves in the area is Drone Shark.  Drone Shark has drones flying over the beaches of Bondi, Tamarama, and Bronte year round.  The drones are there to monitor for shark activity and provide beach goers with an anxiety free adventure.  But they don’t only scan the water for sharks.  Because they have the drones up year round, they have developed an app that you can subscribe to.  If you are a surfer or body border you can subscribe to the app, wear a Drone Shark rash guard, and they will spot and film your day at the beach.  You can also check out the app to get your fill of stunning photography.

Sharks aren’t the only threat to be found along the Australian beaches.  Crocodiles can often be an issue as well.  In Queensland, Surf LifeSaving is a volunteer based rescue service.  They boast having zero preventable deaths along the beaches they patrol.  One way they are helping protect the public beaches is by deploying a drone to monitor the water.  The drones have spotted crocodiles getting into enclosed sting ray areas.  Because of this they were able to shut down three beaches so far until the crocodiles left on their own or were safely relocated. 

The safest way to prevent an attack from a shark or crocodile is to be able to evacuate and close down beaches until the threat is gone.  Using drones to spot these beautiful, yet dangerous creatures is providing Australia’s beaches with the extra insurance they need to keep everyone safe.