As spring temperatures rise, Australians are flocking to the beaches.
New data released by the NSW Department of Primary Industries showed that more than 1,200 sharks had been detected by SharkWatch drone operations between July and August — leading to 360 interventions, including beach and surf evacuations and siren signalling.
Despite the rise in reports, marine expert Dr Rob Harcourt told SBS News it's a matter of greater visibility, not increasing danger.
While Australian waters are home to more than 700 different species of shark, Harcourt said there's three that are most commonly involved in shark attack incidents: bull sharks, tiger sharks and white sharks.
Tiger shark attacks are less common as they live mostly offshore. White sharks are "visual predators" and will hunt prey at any time, day or night.
Bull sharks are the most common species beachgoers come into contact with as they are "very coastal and tolerant of lots of fresh water" so swim up into rivers and harbour areas.
To keep safe while visiting the beach, Harcourt said it's crucial to swim between the flags and in a crowd.
For eight years, NSW Surf Life Saving has run SharkWatch, a shark surveillance program monitoring 95 beaches with 80 drones — operated by around 650 volunteer pilots.
In 2025, 1,000 sharks were spotted via SharkWatch drones, with 800 countermeasures enacted.
According to Pearce, 60 people died from coastal drownings in NSW in 2025 — 30 dying after swimming at unpatrolled beaches.