A MEDICAL pack that may help beachgoers save people from potentially life-threatening shark attacks will be trialled at a northern NSW beach.
An initiative between Byron Shire Council and environmental group Sea Shepherd Australia, the Shark Attack Pack will be available at Watego’s Beach, near Byron Bay, from September.
The pack, which costs around $100 to put together, includes bandages, tourniquets and emergency blankets.
Natalie Banks, national shark campaign coordinator for Sea Shepherd Australia, says the packs are designed to be left at remote beaches where medical help can take time to arrive.
“People die from bleeding out rather than from the shark bite,” she told AAP on Monday.
“People can survive if given medical treatment in a timely manner.”
Waters off the northern New South Wales coast are a hot spot for sharks with nine attacks recorded between Byron Bay and Evan’s Head last year.
In 2015, 33 people were attacked by sharks, both provoked and unprovoked, resulting in two fatalities and 23 serious injuries, according to the Australian Shark Attack File.
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