Mandurah shark app seeks global reach

Launched on Saturday, Anna Philp said she hoped her Jaws Alert app would help prevent attacks like the one that left Mandurah surfer Ben Gerring fighting for his life after losing his leg to a shark in Falcon on Tuesday.

Ms Philp was at Falcon beach waiting to talk to the Mandurah Mail about the app when the attack happened.

“It really shook me up, it was just so terrible,” she said.

“It was exactly what I was hoping to prevent with the app.”

The idea for the app came to her after her husband and father-in-law, both keen surfers, stopped going into the water for fear of attacks.

“It’s something they really love, but my husband doesn’t do it because he has a family now and doesn’t want to take the risk,” she said.

Both men loved to surf the breaks in Falcon, she said.

Department of Fisheries spokesperson Bruno Mezzatesta wouldn’t provide any comment on the Jaws Alert app, but said the risks of encountering a shark were low, the community could still play a part to stay informed and keep enjoying the beach.

“WA has a world-leading service for water users, through the smart-phone friendly Shark Activity Map that combines shark sightings reported by members of the public, or Surf Lifesavers, along with tagged shark detections from the state government’s Shark Monitoring Network,” he said.

“All information is digitally mapped creating a site where people can check for shark information on their local beach or favourite spot on the water.”

He urged members of the community always report any shark sightings to Water Police on 9442 8600.

Ms Philps said the app was for everyone in the world, not just Western Australians, and it also allowed the community to tag shark patrols and closed beaches, and includes emergency numbers from around the world.

“It’s a global app, but I’m encouraging people to still report sightings to authorities,” she said.