Overview
- The NYPD flies drones about 100 yards offshore every day during lifeguard hours to search for sharks and has tracked seven sharks so far this season, a push that has helped prompt roughly 45–50 temporary beach closures citywide.
- City protocol closes beaches for one hour and a half-mile in each direction after a reported sighting, expands closures to one mile when aerial confirmation is obtained, and keeps waters closed for at least an hour after the last confirmed sighting.
- The drones not only spot sharks but also relay live video to crews on shore and can drop inflatable flotation devices that hold up to two adults to aid swimmers until lifeguards arrive.
- On Thursday the NYPD’s TARU unit publicly demonstrated its Rockaway Beach operations, highlighting how the program is being used alongside FDNY, parks and emergency-management teams.
- In New South Wales, an $87 million drone rollout drew scrutiny after a late‑July near-miss at Curl Curl where a shark alarm came more than an hour after the close encounter, and experts warn glare, weather, limited fleets and line-of-sight mean drones are an imperfect extra layer, not a fail-safe.