Skullcandy Oz Grom Open reveals extra safety measures after whale buried on beach at Lennox Head

Organisers of a North Coast competition for young surfers have ramped up shark safety after a whale’s beach burial, despite experts asserting there’s little to worry about.

The whale washed up on Seven Mile Beach at Lennox Head. Picture: Jordy Todd

Safety protocols are increasing at a competition for young surfers on the North Coast due to concerns a whale carcass buried on Seven Mile Beach at Lennox Head could attract sharks.

However, previous studies involving Lismore-based Southern Cross University found whales buried correctly on beaches should not lead to spikes in shark activity.

The six-day Skullcandy Oz Grom Open will run from Thursday to Tuesday in Lennox and is set to involve more than 270 young grommets hitting the waves.

It follows the humpback whale’s burial behind dunes after it washed up and died on Saturday.

Ballina Shire Mayor Sharon Cadwallader said the whale was buried above the high tide mark.

Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader.

“The best you can hope for is that no water passes through the burial site … there’s no guarantee that plumes won’t get into the waterway,” she said.

“There’s no absolute certainty that something like this won’t have an impact … the timing is just really bad.”

But the university study in 2019 found it was unlikely buried whales would pose problems as long as proper conditions were met and decomposing material could not reach the ocean.

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service project officer Dr Duan March led a refloat operation supported by ORRCA, Sea World Research, Rescue & Conservation and Byron Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, but the whale did not survive. Picture: Craig Parry

Lead researcher James Tucker, a PhD candidate at the University’s National Marine Science Centre in Coffs Harbour, said it was important to chose a site with minimal groundwater movement.

He declared “the carcass needs to be buried as far as possible from the ocean”.

The whale on the beach. Picture: Jordy Todd

Researchers recommended monitoring groundwater chemistry near burial sites.

In 2016, a sperm whale carcass was buried on a Tweed beach and later exhumed and taken to landfill due to community concerns.

The following year a juvenile whale washed up on a Ballina beach and was also exhumed and transported to a tip. Cr Cadwallader said shark activity was a factor at the time.

Nevertheless, the surfing competition has been given the green light.

Max McGillivray of Evans Head is carried from the water after winning the under 14 boys title at the 2022 Oz Grom at Lennox.

Le-Ba Boardriders president Ben Beesley said in a statement participant safety was the number one priority for competition organisers.

“We will be progressing with the event and taking on extra surveillance to ensure competitor safety – including an extra drones and jet skis in the event area,” he said.

North Coast surfers Harry O'Brien, Leihani Zoric and Juniper Harper will be competing in the competition, which is due to involve hundreds of groms.

Mr Beesley said the competition could use various beaches in the region as backup.

Cr Cadwallader said authorities tried to save the whale but the measures failed and the marine mammal was buried quickly, before decomposition set in.

“If the carcass was to be dissected on the beach there would still be fall out from that because of the oil and everything else going into the waterways.”