The ocean shaped Glen Butler’s life. He has surfed for 50 years and rarely worried about sharks. “You know you are entering their world, so you stay cautious,” the 61-year-old said.
But last month, the water turned dangerous. Butler surfed with friends at Long Reef on Sydney’s northern beaches. Minutes after he left the water, fellow surfer Mercury Psillakis died in a great white shark attack.
“It shook us,” Butler admitted. Mercury and his twin brother Mike were familiar faces in the local community. “You would always greet them.”
The fatal attack reignited a sensitive debate about beach safety in Australia and placed New South Wales in the spotlight. Authorities use several measures to reduce shark risks, but the most famous and controversial remain shark nets, deployed each summer at many beaches. Conservationists argue the nets cause more harm than good, rarely stop sharks, and threaten other marine life. Still, many beachgoers cling to them as added protection.
Australia deadliest place for shark attacks
Australia has some of the world’s most popular beaches. More than 80% of the population lives near the coast, and morning swims or surfing are routine.
Yet some residents feel these routines are increasingly risky. Mirek Craney, 66, grew up in Sydney watching fishermen haul enormous great whites from the sea. The species was still legally hunted then. Seeing these dead sharks suspended by their tails felt grim but did not scare him. Sharks belonged to the deep ocean, he reasoned, while he surfed in shallow bays.
Five years ago, his daughter Anika suffered a pig eye shark bite while free-diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Though she survived, Craney’s anxiety about sharks increased, amplified by every headline about attacks. “These things trigger me… I get freaked out,” he said.
Mercury was only the second person killed by a shark in Sydney over six decades, after British diver Simon Nellist in 2022. For regular beachgoers, such statistics offer little comfort. Surfers report more frequent sightings close to shore. “We occasionally saw a dark shadow, maybe a dolphin,” Craney said. “Now I see sharks all the time.”
Some fear shark populations are rising after protections for great whites, tiger sharks, and others. Research cannot confirm a population surge. Experts argue more sightings result from increased human activity in water, amplified by social media. Warm oceans may also shift sharks’ feeding and swimming patterns. Despite fear, the odds of a shark bite remain extremely low, far below drowning risk. Yet Australia remains a shark attack hotspot.
Shark incidents in Australia over the past five years
Australia ranks second globally for shark bites, behind the US, which has 13 times the population. It leads in fatal attacks, according to the International Shark Attack File. That database tracks only unprovoked attacks but a broader dataset maintained by Taronga Conservation Society shows a steady rise in incidents. This year alone, Australia recorded four fatal unprovoked attacks.
Nets ‘like a napkin in a pool’
NSW planned to reduce its shark net use when the recent fatal attack occurred. Nets have protected beaches since 1937. They usually stretch across 51 beaches from September to March. Other than Queensland, NSW is the only state still using them.
The nets cannot fully block beaches because ocean currents would wash them away. At roughly 150 meters long and a few meters below the surface, the nets are anchored but do not reach the seafloor. Sharks can swim over, under, or around them. “It’s like throwing a napkin into a pool,” University of Sydney Professor Chris Pepin-Neff explained.
The government says nets aim to intercept target sharks near the shore, not fully block them. Critics, including Pepin-Neff, call them ineffective and misleading. Nearly 40% of sharks caught in nets are on the beach side, trying to escape.
Conservationists argue the nets are cruel. Dean Cropp, ocean explorer and cinematographer, said they are deadly but indiscriminate. Last season, almost 90% of animals caught were not target species, including 11 critically endangered grey nurse sharks. Nets also trap migrating humpback whales, dolphins, turtles, and stingrays. Animals that die in nets may even attract more sharks by sending vibrations through the water.
Polls suggest public support for nets is declining. A survey at Bondi Beach showed three-quarters of respondents would swim even without nets and would not blame authorities for an attack.
Drones, apps, and bite-resistant wetsuits
Alternatives exist. Queensland and NSW use drumlines with baited hooks. NSW now uses “smart” drumlines that alert authorities to tag, relocate, or release sharks. Western Australia employs “eco-barriers,” protecting swimmers while minimizing harm to marine life.
Some surfers wear electromagnetic deterrent bands or bite-resistant wetsuits. Apps track tagged sharks and alert nearby swimmers. Drones now patrol over 50 NSW beaches, providing eyes in the sky. Drone operator Isaac Hails said the devices allow lifeguards to disperse sharks or evacuate swimmers. Funding limits the program to school holidays, when beaches are busiest.
NSW planned to remove nets from three Sydney beaches this summer. That decision paused after Psillakis’ death. His family called his death “tragic and unavoidable,” noting his love for the ocean. Cropp explained the hesitation: “No one wants to remove nets and face a fatal attack immediately afterward. It weighs heavily on you.”
