Rodney Stevens
Some of Australia’s top surfers from the state’s best board riders’ clubs converged on Yamba last week for training on the latest aquatic trauma treatments and how to fly drones as part of the NSW government’s shark mitigation program.
Surfing NSW Head of Programs and Community Matt Lawson said the training kicked off with a free trauma training course on Bleeding Control in Aquatic Environment at Main Beach last Thursday.
Mr Lawson said Surfing NSW was delighted to support Byron Bay Boardriders, Cabarita Boardriders, Headlanders Bodyboard Club Lennox Head, Kingscliff Boardriders, Half Tide Boardriders Evans Head, Port Macquarie Surfboard Riders Club, Mid Coast Saltwater Boardriders Old Bar, Port Macquarie Bodyboarding Association and Yamba Angourie Boardriders in helping save lives on our beaches by conducting the free Northern NSW drone training course at Yamba over the weekend of May 27 and 28.
“We know that surfers have the most interactions with sharks, so as part of the NSW government Shark Mitigation Strategy we have been involved in helping board riding clubs mitigate shark incidences,” he said.
“Part of that is our free drone program which we are providing to not-for-profit board riding clubs in NSW that could not normally afford this sort of technology.”
In November 2021, Surfing NSW received funding from the NSW government for the shark mitigation program and Mr Lawson said all the money received went straight back into board riding clubs and surf schools in NSW.
Mr Lawson said across NSW, 15 board riders’ clubs including Yamba Angourie Boardriders had been selected to receive a state-of-the-art $6500 DJI Mavic Enterprise 3 drone and free training from drone training company Hover UAV.
He said the training was half theory, half practical and held at Turners Beach due to the variety of conditions at the river mouth.
“The main reason for these drones is that they have a siren and a speaker that can communicate with people in the water,” he said.
“They are amazing for spotting animals in the water, like sharks, and following them and part of our training is around the identification of sharks, so to be able to have that microphone where we can communicate with surfers in the water is pretty handy.”
Having completed the training, representatives from each of the clubs will receive an ‘Excluded’ category remote pilots’ licence, allowing them to fly commercially without obtaining a remote pilots licence, which takes a week of training.
“It trains them not only to have the ability to fly, but also we’ve included specific modules like shark identification and how to track animals in the ocean,” Mr Lawson said.
“The distribution of these drones and specialised training will enable these clubs to identify sharks and enhance their ability to keep surfers and beachgoers safe.
“We believe this initiative will have a significant impact on enhancing the safety of regional surfing communities, and we are excited to be part of it.”