You might think a shark spotting app would deter tourists, not entice them. But, as the Sydney-based Instagram account @dronesharkapp reveals, that is far from the case. In fact, the down to water insight the account provides, danger and all, is probably the source of its success.
When you consider Sydney’s most picturesque locales have already been broadcast (and talked up) tens of thousands of times over on social media, it makes even more sense that locals and tourists alike have a lust for something different on their morning scroll.
Enter: @dronesharkapp, an Instagram account which began as a way for surfers on Australia’s Eastern beaches (Bondi, Bronte, Tamarama, etc.) to monitor conditions and look for sharks, but which is now a popular envy-inducing Instagram account in its own right, followed by everyone from swimmers to office workers to tradies.
Lacking the veneer or pretension found on some other location-based Instagram accounts, @dronesharkapp captures the Eastern beaches and their wildlife in an authentic way, something that appears to be missing from many of Tourism Australia’s official campaigns.
From surfing with stingrays…
… to hangin’ with hammerheads…
… to gazing at grey nurse sharks…
… @dronesharkapp is about more than just wave riding.
That’s not to say there’s not something for the surfers too – as the following images reveal…
From getting barrelled above swimming salmon…
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… To providing a sneak peek of the conditions, @dronesharkapp has a lot to offer everyone.
But above all its main attraction for tourists is its illustration of The Australian Dream, which everyone wants a piece of – the casual harmony between humans and nature, all in a half-hour car journey’s distance from a major CBD.
Something which photographers like Eugene Tan have taken to capturing too.
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Take note, Tourism Australia.