Standard Shark Alarm

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30978, 7 February 1966, Page 10

Standard Shark Alarm

(From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, February 6. A simple but effective shark alarm which will be standard throughout New Zealand was presented to the New Zealand Surf Life-Saving Association yesterday at the inter-district surf life-saving carnival at Lyall Bay. It consists of the perforated steel cartridge-case of the new 160m.m. recoilless rifle. New Zealand Army authorities had one of these flown down from Waiouru for testing under beach conditions. Under wind and surf conditions, it produced a more penetrating note when struck by a steel bar than any of the other devices tested. It was accepted by the Wellington District Surf Lifesaving Association, and then by the New Zealand association, as the best method of putting an alarm in the hands of the people. It is understood that sufficient of the cases are

available to supply all surf clubs for fitting near their club houses, and to replace losses. Portable It is possible to fit the cartridge-cases and strikers on posts near high-water marks, or to space them at intervals on a long beach, thus making sure they are heard by swimmers. They are portable enough to be carried into the sea in an emergency.

Their adoption does not prejudice the fitting of more complicated and expensive alarms by clubs or local authorities. These could be even more effective—but they have the drawback that expensive equipment must be protected from the public.

A great deal of valuable surf life-saving equipment, such as lines, box-line outfits and reels, has been destroyed or damaged by vandals. It is felt that the same fate would befall exposed shark alarms if expensive ones were used. Two Advantages

A solution still being investigated is to instal a more powerful and complicated system inside a club hoqse, with a push-button connexion to the beach, plainly marked for the use of the public.

A number of clubs in New Zealand have variations of this equipment, and these will still be in use.

The 106m.m. cartridge case has two great advantages over most of the other low-cost equipment examined—it makes a more penetrating sound, and it is “disposable.” Because of its predominently steel construction, it is not returnable to Army stores, as are the heavy brass cases of orthodox field guns.