A Statement Regarding Coastalwatch Surf Cams and the Fatal Shark Incident at Rainbow Bay
Photo: From the User Photo Gallery by Otwaydundee
COASTALWATCH | STATEMENT
Yesterday afternoon at 5pm a surfer was attacked and killed by a great white shark in Rainbow Bay, Coolangatta. He was rescued by nearby surfers, taken to shore and worked on by paramedics, but didn’t make it. It was a horrible scene and our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the surfer.
Coastalwatch streams live footage to the public from a surf camera position at Rainbow Bay Lookout (Pat Fagan Park) under licence from the surf cam owner, 3 Crowns Technologies (Coastalcoms).
While panning the line-up at the time of the incident, the Rainbow Bay Surf Cam captured footage of the attempted rescue by the surfers and the arrival of lifeguards on the beach. Our surf cam streams include a replay function, and as soon as we became aware of the attack we immediately removed the replays from the time of the incident from our site.
By this stage, several media outlets had taken frame grabs from the replay footage and were leading stories and news bulletins with them, some with an added Coastalwatch watermark.
Coastalwatch did not supply or authorise the use of any image taken from that camera feed, nor will Coastalwatch or 3 Crowns Technologies be releasing any footage, as is company policy around incidents which are sensitive in nature.
Coastalwatch cameras and services are often utilised by emergency services and lifesaving bodies who have direct access and control of the surf cams to help with safety and rescue.
Coastalwatch calls on the outlets that used the images to remove them.
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