Walking down to the southern end of Huskisson Beach for a morning dip just got a little safer. Thanks to the Wobbegongs Winter Swimming Club and local support, a specialised emergency kit is now ready for use, explains Seana Smith.
A Shark Bite Kit has recently been installed on Huskisson Beach and the community group who installed it are keen to spread the word. The kit is attached to one of the benches towards the south end of Huskisson Beach where the Wobbegongs Winter Swimming Club meet.
Wobbegongs Swimming Captain Al Byrne organised this kit for Huskisson Beach. He explained the shark attack that led to Shark Bite Kits being created. “In 2024 there was an incident where a bloke called Kai McKenzie was attacked at North Shore Beach near Port Macquarie. He lost a leg but survived because a dog lead was used as a tourniquet. His friend Danny Shouten realised that there was nothing on the beach to treat shark bites and he crowdfunded to create a kit for that beach. The idea took off and now there are 230 up and down the coast.”
The Shark Bite Kit is kept in a cylinder, attached to the southern end of the bench. It can be opened and used by anyone. The kit has bandages, a tourniquet, instruction cards and resealable plastic bags.
Al adds, “To use them needs no first aid training. It’s not a generic first aid kit, it’s for one specific type of serious emergency.”
All NSW Surf Lifesaving clubs now have Shark Bite Kits. Al had hoped that Shoalhaven Council might fund one, but that didn’t happen. Club Jervis Bay stepped in to cover the cost of the kit. Although there have been no shark attacks reported in Jervis Bay, Al is glad to have arranged for the kit to be at the beach.
“It’s a nice to have. Someday someone might have regretted not having one. If this one gets people thinking about putting shark bite kits in at more beaches around the Shoalhaven then that’s a good thing.”
How to Find Kits
“There’s a Google map that shows where they all are and many types are available for sale.”
Many varieties of shark live in Jervis Bay, but local swimmers, snorkellers and divers have one local favourite, the Port Jackson sharks who return to the Bay each winter to breed and lay their corkscrew-shaped eggs. Still, it’s good to know that on the beach where so many swimmers enjoy their daily dip there is a Shark Bite Kit installed, just in case.
