Post your Shark Sightings with Dorsal!

Sarah Beardmore. Photo supplied

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With no shark nets, drumlines or government-run sighting platform across the Whitsundays, a free community-powered app is helping ocean dwellers find out what may be moving beneath the water before diving in.

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Created by former professional surfer Sarah Beardmore, Dorsal allows beachgoers to view and report shark sightings in real time, with new smartwatch alerts and public drone-reporting technology set to strengthen its reach ahead of summer.

“It’s not to scare people but It’s just an additional tool, like putting on sunscreen or checking the forecast,” she said.  

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“In Queensland, our reports are 100 per cent community-generated, compared to New South Wales, where they already have drone programs and other programs in place that push those reports out to the public.

“So in Queensland, we’re relying completely on people going to the beach, going fishing and heading out on boats.”

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Sarah spent around 12 years competing as a professional surfer, travelling the world before eventually settling in Byron Bay.

After spending much of her life in and around the ocean, Sarah understood how quickly conditions could change. When a series of shark attacks struck northern New South Wales in 2015 and 2016, she saw a clear gap in the way vital sighting information was being shared, inspiring her to create Dorsal.

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“In some of these events, sharks had been seen in the area the day before and on the day of the attack, but there was no real way for people to share that information,” Sarah said.

Shark safety has returned to the national spotlight following a series of incidents across Australia, including a fatal attack at Sorrento Beach near Perth.

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Sixty-three-year-old swimmer Greg O’Neill was reportedly attacked by a great white shark close to shore, with the tragedy unfolding in the clear view of onlookers.  

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The incident marked Western Australia’s third fatal shark attack of 2026 and followed several shark encounters around Sydney earlier in the year, as well as one fatal attack in Far North Queensland back in May.

Against that backdrop, Sarah believes fast and reliable sighting information can help people make better-informed decisions before entering the water and hopefully mitigate these incidents.  

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Dorsal works through a network of everyday of up to 750,000 users, allowing people to check recent shark activity before heading to the beach or submit their own sighting.

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Reports from trusted and verified contributors can appear immediately, while new submissions are checked using details such as GPS location, time stamps and image-recognition technology. Users can attach a photograph or video where possible, although Sarah understands that sightings often happen too quickly to capture on camera.

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Any report flagged by the system is reviewed by Sarah or another member of the team, who may contact the person who submitted it before making the information public.

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Once verified, the sighting is shared through the app, helping warn swimmers, surfers, fishers and boaties within minutes.

“We try to get shark sightings and information to as many people as possible, as quickly as possible,” Sarah said.

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