Drones Scan for Sharks
NSW Lifts Drone Ban for Coogee Shark Surveillance After Attack
Key Points
After the attack, Coogee Beach and adjacent areas were temporarily closed, and the injured woman suffered severe harm to her leg and arms; she was later described as stable but critical in hospital.
Surf Life Saving NSW’s aerial views indicated a white shark roughly 3 to 4 metres long in the area at the time of the bite.
NSW reported that, so far this year, about 170 white sharks have been detected and 60 have been tagged—figures used to underline the scale of the monitoring challenge facing the state’s shark program.
The NSW government said it has already invested $30 million in shark-safety strategies, and Minister Tara Moriarty said in response to cull speculation: “Nothing is off the table.”
CASA’s drone restriction rationale was framed by its prohibition around “airports with control towers”, specifically including “runway approach and departure paths.”
A woman lies in hospital in stable but critical condition after a shark roughly 3.5 to 4 metres long attacked her at Sydney's Coogee Beach on Saturday morning. The attack — which left her with a 30-centimetre bite to her thigh, exposed bone, and deep wounds to her arms — has forced a rapid rethink of the rules that kept drone surveillance away from one of Australia's most popular beaches, according to Reuters.
Within hours of the attack, New South Wales authorities secured an emergency exemption from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to lift a long-standing drone ban at Coogee. By Sunday morning, drones were in the air scanning for the shark. NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty told reporters: "Nothing is off the table" — including lethal shark culls.
How the Attack Unfolded at 11:15 AM
The 35-year-old victim entered the flagged swimming area around 11:10 AM, just 30 metres from shore. Five minutes later, the shark struck. Off-duty lifeguard and paddleboard champion Charlie Verco reached her on his board and described a "big cloud of blood" in the water. He towed her to shore by the arm because she was too weak to climb aboard.
Off-duty hospital doctor Ian Ferguson applied emergency tourniquets on the sand. Eight ambulance crews responded. By 12:30 PM, a Careflight helicopter airlifted the victim to St Vincent's Hospital. Randwick and Waverley Councils closed all eastern suburbs beaches that afternoon — including Bondi, Bronte, and Maroubra — as aerial surveillance confirmed the shark was still in the area, according to Reuters.
Why Drones Were Banned at Coogee in the First Place
Coogee Beach sits directly under the flight paths of Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. CASA rules ban drone flights in runway approach and departure paths near airports with control towers. That left a significant gap in NSW's shark surveillance network — despite Surf Life Saving NSW having over 300 drones and 400 trained pilots ready to fly, according to au.headtopics.com.
CEO Steve Pearce noted that a drone was already airborne at nearby Maroubra — where flights are permitted — on Saturday morning. Aviation expert Neil Hansford argued the blanket ban was over-cautious. He said permanent operations could be safely run by limiting flights to qualified emergency services and enforcing strict altitude rules, as reported by au.headtopics.com.
A $30 Million Program Still Caught Off Guard
NSW has invested $30.7 million in shark safety, funding the world's largest drone surveillance network, 37 tagged-shark listening stations, and 51 SMART drumlines. So far in 2026, authorities have recorded 170 white shark detections and tagged 60 sharks across NSW. But none of those tagged sharks were detected near Sydney at the time of Saturday's attack, according to Reuters.
The attack also happened in winter, when traditional shark nets are removed to protect migrating whales. Swimmer safety at Coogee relied entirely on SMART drumlines and listening stations. Scientist Dr. Chris Pepin-Neff of the University of Sydney cautioned against a cull, saying: "Killing the one today doesn't do anything about the one coming from Queensland," as reported by ca.news.yahoo.com.
Government Pushes for Permanent Drone Access — and Won't Rule Out Culls
Minister Moriarty said the NSW government is fast-tracking a formal application to make the Coogee drone exemption permanent. Plans include funding to train new drone pilots and buy additional aircraft. Any permanent arrangement will require communication protocols between Surf Life Saving NSW pilots and Sydney Airport air traffic control, according to au.headtopics.com.
At the same time, political pressure for lethal action is growing. Independent politician Rod Roberts has demanded an immediate shark cull in high-traffic swimming areas. Great White sharks are a protected species under Australian national law, meaning any cull could trigger legal challenges from environmental groups and a clash with the Federal Government, according to Reuters.
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