00:02Volunteer surf lifesavers are bracing for a busy beach season this year with hot and dry weather forecast.
00:08There's a lot of fun to be had at the beach, but in the back of people's minds are drownings
00:12and shark attacks.
00:14Over the next seven months, about 21,000 surf lifesaving volunteers will be patrolling beaches across New South Wales.
00:21Their efforts to stop people from drowning and keep them safe are being supported by a suite of equipment and
00:26technologies.
00:26These include jet skis, emergency response beacons and even a fleet of 70 drones flying over 90 beaches to spot
00:34sharks and struggling swimmers.
00:36They've flown over 70,000 flights since that uplift has occurred.
00:40Nearly 500 sharks sighted and people removed from the water during that time since that program started.
00:46Today might mark the start of the surf season, but the state has already recorded nine drownings.
00:51Last weekend, four happened in just over 24 hours and last year the country's drownings reached a record high.
00:59Unfortunately, 154 people drowned on Australia's coastline over 2025.
01:06It's the largest number of coastal drownings we've ever had and a 21% increase on the 10 year average.
01:13And this perfectly highlights the value of the people behind me, the surf lifesavers.
01:20None of the people who drowned were swimming between the flags and so surf lifesaving is urging people to take
01:25a dip in these patrolled areas.
01:27But the current isn't the only threat with New South Wales recording several recent shark attacks.
01:32I was in the water once and I heard the shark line go off, but the drone was there to
01:40say that the shark was there, so I had to get out.
01:44It made me feel safer knowing that with the drone it would tell people to get out, whereas I could
01:52still have been in there if there was no drone.
01:55It's part of our Australian lifestyle, it's a great thing to do, and today being a cracker day is the
02:01first of many.
02:02What we want is for everybody who comes to the beach to go home safe and sound.
02:07Controversial shark nets are already in place, as are tagged shark listening stations, including two more in Sydney Harbour.
02:14Beaches will be patrolled by volunteer lifesavers over the next seven months, but the challenge of keeping people safe will
02:20be tougher this year,
02:21with the forecast hot weather expected to draw bigger crowds.
