‘Not a safety barrier’: Reality of nightmare surf footage at Gold Coast's Snapper Rocks
Viral footage of sharks in a feeding frenzy at Snapper Rocks left viewers stunned – but some claim the incident exposes a more disturbing detail.
Viral footage of dozens of sharks in a feeding frenzy at Snapper Rocks left viewers stunned – but the scenes at the iconic Gold Coast surf spot have exposed a more disturbing reality.
As it turns out, the animals were inside the shark nets and drumlines during the chaos – “proving yet again”, Greens spokesperson for healthy oceans Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said, that “nets aren’t a safety barrier against sharks”.
In the video, it appears the sharks – ranging from 1 to 2.5 metres – were close to shore because they were chasing a bait ball. The dense schools of small fish form a spherical defence formation, and can attract predators like sharks, prompting a feeding frenzy and leading to beach closures.
In light of the Snapper Rocks incident, the Greens have urged federal Minister for Environment and Water, Murray Watt, to remove an Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) exemption that allows state-controlled shark cull programs.
“What further proof do governments need that shark nets do not work, and can even attract sharks to beaches where they can feed on marine wildlife caught in these barbaric walls of death,” Senator Whish-Wilson said in a statement.
“Federal law enables the state-sanctioned animal cruelty that we’re seeing off our Queensland and NSW coastlines through a dangerous and archaic EPBC exemption.
“It’s time to end the world’s longest marine cull and stop this barbaric government-sanctioned animal cruelty … Governments can help keep ocean-goers safe by supercharging investment in modern-day alternatives to outdated and ineffective shark nets and drumlines.
“These include subsidising shark shield personal deterrent devices, shark spotter programs, eco-shark barriers, bite-proof wetsuits, and improving public education.”
News.com.au has contacted Minister Watt for comment.
A 2019 study, led by the University of Wollongong’s Dr Leah Gibbs, found that shark nets were not effective in keeping swimmers safe, and had a “significant” negative impact on marine life.
Dr Gibbs described shark nets as an “outdated technology”.
“There is no reliable evidence that lethal shark hazard management strategies are effective,” Dr Gibbs, from UOW’s School of Geography and Sustainable Communities, said of the research.
“At the same time, many people oppose them, institutions are moving away from them, and threatened species are put at risk as a result of them.
“Investment in beach patrol and emergency and medical response makes good sense. They have none of the negative impacts of lethal strategies, and are very likely responsible for the improved safety we enjoy today at the beach and in the ocean.”
Greenmount Beach,a few hundred metres north of Snapper Rocks, was the scene of the Gold Coast’s last fatal shark attack when real estate agent Nick Slater was mauled there in 2020 by a great white.
Hero surfers raced into the water to retrieve Mr Slater’s body. He was pulled ashore with severe leg injuries, though despite the best efforts of paramedics, he could not be saved.
Earlier this month, a group of boys pulled a teenager from the water in Far North Queensland after a life-threatening shark attack.
The 14-year-old was attacked after entering the water off Cook Esplanade, on Thursday Island, about 6.23pm on Saturday, October 11.
According to Queensland Police, he suffered “significant abdominal injuries” and was transported to Thursday Island Hospital before later being flown to Townsville.
The boy had been fishing with friends when the attack occurred.
Originally published as ‘Not a safety barrier’: Reality of nightmare surf footage at Gold Coast's Snapper Rocks
