We all know and love Shark Spotters. The awesome organisation who strive to keep our surfers, swimmers and beach goers safe by warning if sharks are present in the water. Not only do they aim to lower the risk of shark attacks, they also strive to conserve great white sharks and educate people about the majestic animals.
Earlier this year they won gold at the Gold – Innovation Award in the Best Beach Tourism Category at the African Responsible Tourism Awards 2016. Just when we thought they could not get any more awesome, they are in busy developing an app to help make their warning system more effective.
Sarah Waries, Shark Spotters project manager told Cape Talk that the idea for the app came out of requests from the community. They are always calling the organisation to find out this information, and an app is a great way to relay this information whenever you need it.
Half way through our campaign & half the money raised. Thanks for all the donations so far! https://t.co/F9SiX0TyDl pic.twitter.com/Lji1MZGiKd
— Shark Spotters (@SharkSpotters) July 26, 2016
Shark Spotters now need help from the community. They need R60 000 to make the app a reality. They have already raised half the money through a crowdfunding page, but they need more help. With all the incredible work they do for us and our beaches, this app is the next step in helping us enjoy our beaches safely. To donate, you can check out their Backabuddy page here. Let’s all do our part to help out this incredible organisation.
To listen to Sarah Waries talk about the app and Shark Spotters on Cape Talk listen below:
Photography courtesy
One of my favourite spots when I drove up there over looking Fishhoek beach.Gazing at the view is so incredible that it sends shivers up one’s spine,lol
Use drones already. A hub can be positioned on or near the beaches and the spotters can be taught new skills. Routine grid patterns can be followed and special cameras for detecting in poor vis conditions.
Yes Jon Danger Jon Danger Ambler