Issue here is lots of people are paranoid and think they been seeing sharks when it was a log or a seal or whatever
Some will report false sighting rendering data erroneous and misleading

...and others will contribute actual (literally real) encounters.
These encounters real or not are encounters to be learned from (Learnings).

I feel I would not be alone in checking out all good info.

What for? You go in the ocean regularly, you share the same space as large fish. End of. Up to the individual how they 'feel' about this.

More funding wasted on PHDs re Movements of Sharks. (Again)
Money should be spent of Shark protection devices/Issues.
But if your device/theory fails you cant publish !

Shark 'encounters' and climate change, the postgraduate gravy train.

Here have some more money, just make sure your results fit the narrative.

Doing a PhD is bloody hard work and not everyone gets paid a generous (or even marginal) scholarship to do one. Many who are studying their doctorates have to work as tutors, research assistants and even Deliveroo drivers just to pay the bills. Assuming someone's being funded to conduct research is simplistic, lazy thinking and symptomatic of a much larger social ill in this country.

We shouldn't be criticising people for exploring their curiosity about the world around them, we should be encouraging it. How else are we going to fix all the shit we're surrounded by?

Where else do we put public Money? Coal Mines? Oil rigs ? Submarines .

Money well spent in the community. If you have a better Idea then write a proposal and contribute to society in positive ways.

Sharks have holidays? There's something I didn't know...

Ok so I had a look...they want to know, when you had your encounter, how it made you feel!? Jesus H Crispy Fucking Christ! This is absolutely critical data, how someone felt when watching a fin slide by while on a boat (ambivalent) to right under you so could get a sense of scale whereby you FELT like shitting yourself.
I don't know how you could take this survey seriously. And here's a big surprise, when you see where others have dropped their pins they happen to be in the obvious spots and also correspond with my couple of mild experiences. You know: river mouths, lagoon openings after rain, deep holes where fish might be. Groundbreaking.

This looks interesting. I imagine it will put some qualitative data behind how ALL water users feel about sharks when they encounter one, not just surfers. It will hopefully also be able to identify changes before and after those encounters that appear in the media. Like the info on the web link says, it hopes to inform public policy which is a good thing. Many PhD topics probably don’t interest or directly serve the interests of the general public but hey universities have a much needed place in society and I’d prefer money was spent on research than refurbishing sports stadiums and election advertising

Paint the bottom of board in Killer Whale colors , combine this with a recording of hunting KW 's played through a small water proof speaker attached to leggie.... happy days ..hopefully.

I think that one thing a lot of you are overlooking with all this 'sharks have been tagged for years and we know where they go' opining, is that you fail to understand that the more data we have the better equipped to understand whatever it is we are looking into.
Sure, some people will insert misleading data, intentionally or not. The algorithms that the studier uses to determine patterns in the data, and possibly forecast future patterns (using AI), will weed out erroneous entries.

Maybe, and this one is super important ... you did not read the description of the study either "The project is exploring the perceptions and behaviours of ocean-users in relation to human-shark encounters." ... They are not trying to study the behaviours of the sharks, so the tagging is completely irrelevant. It may be a Phycology Doctorate and not a Marine Biologist.

I wish people who live in Wollongong were able to appreciate that the south coast extends well beyond the Shoalhaven. Sigh.

Well said, epictard, but I'm a little more fed up with the predictable idiocy of some commenters than you are.

As to some of the comments above, this is a topic that attracts a torrent of abuse from the usual shark-minded suspects who would do well to take a deep breath and think beyond the usual perspective. Apparently, the only research worth doing is the research that they think is the research to do, despite their extensive experience in research, applied research, policy development and management of the issue on the ground. These blokes - they sound like blokes - sound a lot like the blokes in charge of the vaccine stroll out and the RAT debacle. They know best. Oh no, did I just conflate two touchy subjects...? Bugger.

Perhaps the research will lead to something, perhaps it won't. But that's the nature of research. Ask the question, try and find an answer. Surprisingly, there are a lot of interactions that happen where people aren't attacked, and some people are even OK about the interaction without sh1tting their pants like I would. Have a gander at the insta account of Scott Fairchild and you'll see how often juvenile whites swim among people without incident - in the US at least. I can't figure out whether to promote this to keep people from surfing or whether it would result in the Muppetry calling for even greater culls.

I'm interested in whether the armchair critics on here have ever actually approached a researcher in a polite and genuinely interested way to understand their research proposal. Or to take the time to understand where the funding comes from and whether it might actually be set aside for a purpose other than your preferred research topic ie your idea might not be eligible for that money anyway. The tone suggests not. Far easier to hang shit on well-intentioned people who actually get off their arse from the safety of the recliner.

"In this study, we demonstrate that sharks do not attack humans intentionally. Furthermore, we argue for continuous studies to further demonstrate that sharks do not attack humans intentionally"

I think the title 'Mapping shark encounters' is not really the same without the bi line on the site which states "Understanding a diverse range of human interactions with sharks". It is obviously a social sciences study and not a scientific study on sharks themselves. I don't know Jack about social science research so I'll leave my opinion on the study there.
I also doubt the geographical mapping of these 'encounters' will have much of an impact on scientifically observable data on shark behaviour or numbers though , and I don't think that's their objective.

From: https://aboutregional.com.au/share-your-shark-tales-and-help-research/

“The majority of respondents have had positive reactions to encountering sharks,” said Ms Mifsud. “Many have described the encounters as exciting and how they felt lucky to have the opportunity to witness sharks in their natural environment."

“I hope this project is able to show the community how regularly shark encounters occur and they are not those Jaws-like encounters highlighted by media and pop culture.

“Hopefully it will assist with changing perceptions and attitudes towards sharks.”

This is ridiculous. Sound, peer-reviewed, academic research should be impartial. It seems there's a bit of an agenda here...

Sharkies are playing the Dragons down there tonight

hopefully the dragons will have a positive experience

Research will conclude sharks are actually cuddly and kiddies should see them as friendly sleepover buddies :

The project is definitely worthwhile.
I don't think a surfer would dream of reporting a shark sighting if all he saw was a seal.

Qualitative versus quantitative

re climate change and sharks - apparently change in sea level Ph, as CO2 levels increase (transfer from atmouspheric C02 to oceans), may affect fish behaviour. i am not a scientist, just repeating what i heard

Obviously a lot of comments here from people who are not familiar with research, how it is conducted or funded.

If you are genuinely interested in finding out more, for example about why the research is important, i suggest you reach out to the researchers directly. Most researchers I know are very forthcoming.

If you are more in the business of being a bigot, carry on.

So how did you feel when you suspected research bigotry tooold2bakook ...

Awww Frog.... i want a stuffed sharkie to sleep with too.

2 recent encounters added. All the best with your work Teaniel.

If you watch the movie “Jaws” backwards, it becomes a heartwarming story of a shark swimming around giving arms and legs to disabled people