Drones will be kept busy on Queensland beaches in summer

SHARK detection and rescue drones will patrol some of Queensland’s busiest beaches for the first time this summer.

The Westpac Little Ripper Life Saver will be deployed on the Sunshine Coast and at North Stradbroke Island from the end of September as part of a trial with Surf Life Saving Queensland. Another two will be based at Surfers Paradise and Cairns from the end of November.

The Ripper Group’s Ben Trollope said the drones had been trialled at NSW beaches for the past two years, but this was the first time they would be used in Queensland.

Drones would primarily be used during emergencies, as they came equipped with speakers, cameras and an inflatable rescue device that could be lowered into the water, Mr Trollope said.

“The You Little Beauty is a three- metre inflation device that will keep four grown men afloat for 24 hours without manual inflation,” he said yesterday.

The drones can also detect sharks and other marine life.

Mr Trollope said the plan was to equip each of Australia’s 365 surf lifesaving clubs with the technology.

“It’s not so much changing lifesaving, more so giving lifesavers another tool,” he said.

The company has also developed a separate fleet of drone helicopters and planes that can be used to conduct beach patrols from the air.

The technology could help spot rips and ensure flags are in the right spot.