Sharks have always been a fact of life for Australian surfers, but these days it feels like a much bigger thing to worry about. But the recent spate of shark attacks in New South Wales has got some surfers spooked – and there’s certain surf beaches that they won’t go to.
There have been 17 recorded shark attacks in NSW since the beginning of last year.
News.com.au spoke to a few surfing writers, who claim that the vibe is different these days. Anecdotally, surfers reckon that there are more sharks around, but they don’t know know what needs to be done to deal with it.
Derek Rielly, founder of Stab Magazine and BeachGrit, says that surfers are all a bit antsy about sharks at the moment, especially in the Ballina to Byron Bay stretch of surfing coast.
“Sharks are on everyone’s lips. The shark spotting apps and Facebook pages intensify it. Are there more sharks? Who knows? Anecdotally, yeah, everyone seems to know someone who has had an encounter.”
The Ballina north wall and Shelly Beach are considered hotspots for shark activity based on eyewitness accounts, but the entire Ballina-to-Byron coast is causing a great deal of unease with surfers.
But the general vibe is that shark culls are not the answer, even if the widespread fear over going in the water is largely unprecedented. Tim Baker, former editor of Surfing Life magazine, said the data just doesn’t support ’em.
“I drove around Australia in 2011, surfed alone in sketchy waters. If science suggests culling doesn’t work how many sharks do you kill before you feel safe enough? Something’s out of balance but we need understanding that whatever action we take is effective, not just satisfying vengeance and blood lust.”
Pretty worrying stuff. Have a read of the full report over at News.com.au.
Source: News.com.au.
Photo: Getty Images / Barcroft Media.
