Shark at Snapper Rocks?

Apps are our new God. Most spend 60 to 80 percent of the waking hours staring at them. But, do you believe them? If you own the Dorsal App, and happen to live on the Gold Coast, then today was a day to test your belief: At 2pm, Dorsal notified that a shark of unspecified length and unspecified species had been spotted by SLSQ’s Westpac Helicopter at Snapper Rocks. As of writing, no other apps or sources have reported a sighting (though, let’s not forget that three weeks ago, the Gold Coast Bulletin reported that the Dept. of Primary Fisheries may’ve been concealing shark sightings in north NSW to protect tourism). And yeah, we all know sharks are out there. And, as it was unspecified, it could’ve been a tiny, harmless thing that’s more scared of you, than you of it. But in our age of heightened awareness, it’s pretty real when you’re led to believe there’s potentially a fin cruising in the vicinity of the world’s most heavily-trafficked sandbank. Again, this all comes back to how much you trust the tech. Perhaps you prefer a state of unawareness, like when you were a kid and there were no apps or social media and you probably surfed with sharks close by every time you paddled out, but never knew. ‘Scuse the cliche, but ignorance truly is bliss. Either way… keep an eye out. Snapper, last week. A lone dorsal fin could empty this out real quick. Brave it and you could get wave of your life! Photo: Blake Ormerod