Last December, Surfing NSW – the state’s peak body for surfing – received an additional $650,000 investment from the Minns Government as part of the record $30 million Shark Management Program over the 2025/26 summer.
See Sunday December 7 announcement: Minns Government announces $2.5 million boost to summer beach safety with immediate extra shark surveillance drones
The funding has enabled Surfing NSW to launch an expanded drone shark surveillance program including comprehensive training for a new cohort of volunteer drone pilots.
Beginning with the peninsula, a further 60 drones will be rolled out to 60 unequipped clubs across NSW, and 125 pilots will be trained by the end of Winter. This ensures that every board rider club has a drone and trained pilots.
The enhancement package for Surfing NSW is a significant step in honouring Mercury Psillakis — a respected member of Long Reef Boardriders and a deeply valued figure within the local board riding community, who lost his life through a shark attack.
See September 2025: Narrabeen to Manly Beaches Closed After Fatal Shark Incident
Each drone deployed through the expanded program will carry Mercury’s name, ensuring his legacy lives on through a safer future for surfers.
The drones will support board rider clubs during events and training sessions, providing an additional layer of safety for surfers and the broader beachgoing community, particularly outside of patrolled locations and hours.
Following the Manly to Barrenjoey rollout, the program will extend across Sydney’s southern beaches before two regional based training courses — one north and one south — completing delivery to all remaining clubs, including Newcastle and Wollongong.
Drone operations will run year-round, with trained pilots able to identify high-risk species and monitor activity in real time. In the event of a shark sighting during a club event or training session, in the absence of direction from local beach authorities, activity will be paused with a minimum 30-minute stand-down before resuming if no further sightings occur.
In just a matter of months, the program will double the number of clubs equipped and trained, marking one of the most significant community-led safety uplifts in NSW surfing. The next phase will focus on increasing pilot numbers within each club to further strengthen coverage and reduce volunteer load.
As part of the NSW Government’s $30 million Shark Management Program all drone surveillance operations will have any shark sighting or warning uploaded to the SharkSmart app to allow beachgoers to make an informed decision before entering the water.
All water users are encouraged to download the Sharksmart app for near real-time shark activity information and alerts to help stay safe.
NSW Minister for Agriculture, the Hon. Tara Moriarty, said:
“For the Minns Government, beach safety for swimmers and surfers is a top priority, and this announcement today of another shark surveillance drone rollout is clear evidence of our commitment being put into action.
“I want to thank the Psillakis family who have been proponents of drone surveillance since the death of Mercury following a shark attack at Dee Why Beach last September.
“We spoke together last year about increasing protection for boardriders and recognising the role of surfers in beach safety as a legacy for Mercury.
“This comprehensive drones and training program for Surfing NSW ensures every club has a drone and trained pilots, which is a significant contribution to honouring his legacy.
“This will materially lift community-led coastal surveillance during the White Shark season of winter and spring and heading into next summer.
“This significantly extends drone coverage and in-air time across beaches to enhance safety for surf boardriders and swimmers during competition, training and surf schools.
“This coverage by Surfing NSW is a significant supplement to the scheduled periods of drone surveillance by Surf Life Saving NSW, which I have also just extended from April to June 30 2026 at 14 beach sites, 4 of which are on the northern beaches.”
The Psillakis family said:
“We want to sincerely thank Surfing NSW and the NSW Government for this important step forward in shark mitigation and ocean safety.
“The release of these drones in Mercury’s name is deeply meaningful to us and our family. It is an honour that recognises not only his life, but the love we continue to carry for him every day.
“We are truly grateful for the commitment shown here to innovation, to safety and to protecting those who share our coastline.
“There is still more to do, and this must remain an ongoing conversation. Ocean safety, shark mitigation and community protection require continued effort, continued investment, and continued collaboration and we look forward to continuing this work together.”
the Hon. Tara Moriarty and Mike Psillakis, Mercury's twin brother, trying out the drone at Mona Vale on Sunday May 3. Photo: NSW Government
Mike Psillakis said on Sunday:
"My experience is that there were shark nets in place when he [Mercury] was taken. So in my experience, shark nets don't work,"
''I'd like to see AI drone technology because it's not just the contest surfers on the weekends, it's citizens that surf during the morning, before work and in the afternoons that I want protected,"
"I want a box launch from sunrise to sunset, totally automated, where you don't have to have a man pilot.
"I'd like to see the shark populations looked at as well, because that's something that's not really discussed." Mike said
In March 2025 Pittwater Online reported Bull sharks, which usually leave our waters once they drop below 19C and head north, are staying in the warm waters off our coasts.
In March 2026 Pittwater Online News ran an update which included the numbers of sharks spotted, and beaches closed along the peninsula, as part of an update wherein the MP for Pittwater, Jacqui Scruby, was calling for a shark inquiry through the NSW Parliament. The last of these was held in 2016.
In June 2025 Pittwater Online reported Sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the southern hemisphere, including areas around Australia, were expected to be warmer than average during the Winter of 2025. The Bureau of Meteorology indicated that day and night temperatures are likely to be above average across Australia for this time of the year.
Another recurring change witnessed back-to-back during the past several years has been the deaths of thousands birds off our coasts through starvation - birds that rely on zooplankton for food. Zooplankton can survive in warm waters, however, they thrive in cooler waters. Marine heatwaves have been causing shifts in where and when zooplankton occur, and how large they grow.
A study released in April 2026 reports this too is due to marine heatwaves caused by climate change and global warming.
See: Shearwaters washing up on local beaches for third year in a row: Mass mortalities of Starving Birds attributed to Australia's Lose-Lose Policy on the Australian Environment - October 2024
Lucas Townsend, Surfing NSW CEO, said:
“There are 120 boardrider clubs along the NSW coast with more than 11,500 active members of all ages, 50 per cent of those members are aged under 18, and those youth numbers continue to grow.
“Following the tragedy that took Merc’s life, the surfing community came together with one shared intention — to make our beaches safer.
“This aerial surveillance program is for the competitive surfers and nearby beachgoers.
“These drone kits are dedicated to and are part of that legacy.
“Every competition, every training event, every flight over the line-up reflects the generosity and spirit of Merc’s family and the wider surfing community, turning loss into something that protects others.
“May this equipment help keep surfers safe, and may Merc’s memory live on in the water he loved.”
This follows on from Surf Lifesaving NSW announcing the day after the Volunteer Patrol Season closed that they would be installing Shark Bite Kits on every of the 129 surf clubs along the NSW coast.
See May 2026 report: Flags Down on 2025/2026 Patrol Season: SLSNSW Distributes Publicly Accessible Shark Bite Kits to All NSW Surf Clubs - Going Up at 129 surf clubs
