Andrew Thirlwell via Getty
It’s no secret Margaret River is home to great white sharks. The most recent attack happened last July at Gnarabup Beach, the seventh in West Aus waters to that point last year.
While every surfer understands the inherent risks of surfing in WA, Margaret River local Keith Halnan is hoping to help mitigate those risks. At least, he’s trying to implement a relatively low-cost safety measure at popular surf spots that will help save lives in a worst case scenario.
“We’ve got the BEN (Beach Emergency Number) signs … so why couldn’t we put something at those signs where we have something for drownings and promoting safety for shark attacks?”, asks Halnan, in this ABC News report in Australia.
Related: What Does the Recent Spate of Fatal Shark Attacks in Australia Mean for Surfers?
After noticing a number of publicly accessible shark attack kits being installed on the east coast of Australia, Halnan decided to lead a similar initiative in WA, starting with his local beaches in Margaret River. Halnan contacted David Rutter, who builds shark response kits in Ballina, and had one delivered and installed at Surfers Point. According to Rutter, the kits are simple and intuitive, and “basically have five or six components … the PPE, the tourniquets, hemostatics, splints, emergency evacuation litters, and emergency blankets for trauma-induced hypothermia.”
Halnan’s hope is that the government takes notice, and funds the installation of additional life saving kits at nearby beaches.
“We’ve had drownings at Contos, Redgate beach and [more recently] at Honeycombs, and we have a lot of international tourists here and world-class heavy water with big surf stretches between the two capes,” continues Halnan. “A tourniquet for shark attacks, snakebite bandages, stop-the-bleed bandages, and also a surf rescue tube … there’s a definite need for something like that on our beaches.”
Hopefully, thanks to Halnan, these lifesaving kits spread east to west in Oz, and then eventually branch out to other beaches around the world. It’s an initiative that’s sure to save lives.
Related: Legendary Pipeline Surfer Tamayo Perry Killed in Shark Attack