Following a second shark-bite incident in six weeks, there are renewed calls for increased drone patrols along the far north coast of New South Wales. Beaches near Cabarita reopened on Tuesday morning after a surfer had a close encounter with a shark measuring between 4 and 5 meters on Monday. The shark took a significant bite out of the surfer's board, snapping it in half, but fortunately, the surfer was unharmed.

A preliminary assessment by shark biologists from the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development indicates that the damage to the surfboard was likely caused by a great white shark. Shortly after the incident, a shark of similar size was caught on a smart drumline near Norries Head at Cabarita. The shark managed to drag the line approximately 1.5 kilometers east of the headland before freeing itself from the hook. Although it is presumed to be the same shark involved in the surfer's encounter, it could not be tagged, and no accurate measurements or biological samples were collected.

This incident occurred in the same area where a 16-year-old boy was bitten by a shark in late June. In response to the recent events, Tweed Shire Council Mayor Chris Cherry has urged the state government to allocate more funding for drone patrols to enhance safety against future shark encounters. "At the moment we have got four but they are only funded for the surf lifesaving clubs to man them during school holidays and, as we can see, an incident can happen any time," Cherry stated. "What we really need from the state government is more funding to man those drones."

Lennox Head-based surf journalist Steve Shearer highlighted the increasing evidence of shark activity in the waters off the Mid North Coast and North Coast. He noted that while the science surrounding shark behavior is still evolving, there has been a noticeable rise in interactions and attacks. "The pendulum of public opinion went too far when Jaws came out as seeing sharks as these bloodthirsty predators, but then it probably swung too far the other way, saying that they are harmless and they are not interested in us," Shearer explained.

He emphasized the need to recognize sharks as apex predators, stating, "We do need to come to terms with the fact that this is an apex, ambush, opportunistic predator and it is a very dangerous animal and we need to be aware of that."

Shearer also mentioned that while not a perfect solution, smart drumlines are likely the best technology available to mitigate the risk of shark encounters.