Shark bite kits like the one used to help save the life of Sydney mother Leah Stewart after she was attacked earlier this month are being stolen from beaches.
Community Shark Bite Kits founder Danny Schouten has rolled out 280 of the packs, which contain bandages, a tourniquet, a thermal blanket, a whistle and instructions.
He started the national initiative in 2024 after his friend Kai McKenzie was bitten by a shark on a remote beach in NSW.
Mr Schouten said there had been about a dozen thefts reported to him over the last two years, including incidents in Old Bar, near Taree on the NSW Mid North Coast.
“[The kits] are put there by community members who’ve paid for them or have fundraised for them,” he said.
“It’s sad to see them be vandalised or stolen.“
Danny Schouten (left) started Community Shark Bite Kits after his friend Kai McKenzie was attacked by a white shark on Port Macquarie’s North Shore. (Supplied: Danny Schouten)
Mr Schouten said the incident in Coogee showed how vital the kits could be.
“I have heard from Leah’s brother, and he was grateful for everybody who was there on the day and made a difference in saving Leah,” he said.
“He expressed his gratitude for the work that I was doing in getting these kits and knowing it made a difference to help save his sister.”
A shark bite kit was used to help save the life of Leah Stewart. (Supplied: GoFundMe)
Police said they had not received any recent reports of shark bite kits being stolen.
But shark attack survivor and Bite Club founder Dave Pearson said some of the kits he purchased and installed around Crowdy Bay had gone missing.
“You can imagine someone going to open the kit [after an attack] and it’s empty,” he said.
“Disgraceful is one word for it. Inhumane is another.“
Dave Pearson says education could help to prevent the kits being stolen. (ABC News: Anthony Scully)
Mr Schouten said most beachgoers knew better than to tamper with what could be a life-saving kit.
“It’s unfortunate, but it’s the 1 per cent of people who are messing with them,” he said.
“Ninety-nine per cent of people respect and appreciate them, [but] unfortunately you’re going to have people like that in your community who don’t care.”
Extra security for shark bite kits
Mr Pearson and Mr Schouten said kits had to be easy to access and that greater education and awareness could prevent them from being stolen.
“Very few places in the world have done what we have here, and we’re really setting the bar with what we’re doing to look after each other,” Mr Pearson said.
“The best thing for security is we all keep an eye on it.“
Tara Moriarty says security measures could be considered if the thefts continue. (ABC News: Berge Breiland)
Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said if thefts continued additional security measures would be considered to safeguard shark bite kits and 129 similar packs rolled out by Surf Life Saving NSW this year.
“Providing shark kits that will save lives should not be messed with by idiots who are interfering with them on the beaches,” she said.
“So, if we need to put extra security in place, we’ll have a look at that.“
Support for publicly accessible shark kits is included in a two-year, $120 million state government investment for shark management strategies. (Supplied)
Ms Moriarty said support for shark bite kits would continue under a two-year, $120 million state government shark mitigation program, which includes new technologies and an expanded drone program.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development has purchased 150 community shark bite kits to roll out this year, a spokesperson said, with another 50 bought for Surf Life Saving NSW emergency response beacons in high-risk remote areas.
