Lifesavers can apply for drones during to help prevent shark attacks

More beaches across New South Wales will be monitored by drones this summer, both to keep an eye out for sharks and to prevent overcrowding which raises the risk of Covid-19 transmission.

A $200,000 grants scheme has been set up for allocate drones to councils, surf lifesaving groups and Marine Rescue NSW.

They have until December 11 to apply for funding for drones, observation towers and equipment, emergency evacuation alarms and communication systems.

'We are ramping up efforts to ensure swimmers have a safe summer at the beach by putting more eyes in the sky and keeping a close watch on sharks,' NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said on Wednesday.  

The new schme comes shortly after a partnership agreement between Surf Life Saving NSW and Northern Beaches Council saw drones deployed at 25 beaches and parks in the area. 

Northern Beaches Mayor Michael Regan explained that sharks were not the sole reason beach-users will become accustomed to the buzz of drones in coming months.

'Our aim is to keep our popular beaches and parks open so locals and visitors alike can enjoy them to the full this summer,' he said. 

'Using this real time data we can even more effectively manage our public spaces and reduce the COVID risk to beachgoers.' 

Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce said drones and other communication equipment will monitor numbers at the beach and provide live updates, helping people decide which beach they want to go to.

'Drones have become an indispensable tool in Surf Life Saving operations,' he said.

'In addition to providing important beach attendance information to councils and police who make beach access decisions, our UAVs are used for marine creature surveillance, search and rescue operations and spot beach hazards such as rips.

'The more information we can give people about beach attendance, ahead of them arriving on the sand to find it nearing COVID-safe attendance limits, the better.

'Beachgoers can easily identify less crowded beaches before they leave home with the tap of a button on their mobile phone.'

There have been seven fatal shark attacks this year; the highest number since 1934.

The first fatal shark attack of the year came when diver Gary Johnson, 57, was killed by a great white shark while diving with his wife near Esperance in WA in January. 

Wildlife ranger Zachary Robba, 23, was then mauled to death by a shark while swimming off the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland in April.

Another great white shark killed surfer Rob Pedretti, 60, at Salt Beach near Kingscliff in far northern NSW in June.

Spearfisher Matthew Tratt, 36, was mauled to death by a suspected great white shark on Fraser Island in Queensland in July.

Later in July, surfer Mani Hart-Deville, 15, was catching waves when he was killed by a suspected great white shark at Wooli Beach, near Grafton on the NSW North Coast.

Another surfer, Nick Slater, 46, was mauled to death by a suspected great white at Greenmount Beach on the Gold Coast in September.

Most recently, surfer Andrew Sharpe was killed by a shark near Esperance on WA's south coast on October 9. 

Experts believe a La Niña weather event is creating cooler water around Australia, which is preferred by great white sharks, drawing them close to our beaches.