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Shark Smart Will Tweet You If There's A Shark Nearby

'Hey shark, where r u now? Hope I don't c u soon.'
Please don't Tweet the sharks.
MAXIM ZMEYEV / Reuters
Please don't Tweet the sharks.

If sharks could Tweet, maybe they'd say 'Up for lunch today 😄?' or perhaps 'Hope I don't see anyone 😐' is closer to the truth.

The NSW government's Shark Smart app will send you a text and Tweet if there's a tagged shark near a hotspot beach.

The Shark Smart program started on the state's north coast after a devastating spate of 13 serious shark attacks in 2015 including the death of Tadashi Nakahara in Ballina.

Listening devices are now anchored offshore between the Tweed and Forster and if a tagged shark swims within 500m, an alert is sent.

Minister for Primary Industries, Niall Blair, said the program would be extended to south coast beaches including Kiama, Sussex Inlet, Mollymook, Batemans Bay and Merimbula shortly.

"When it comes to preventing shark attacks we need to give beach goers better information, and the fact that listening stations provide real time information of shark's movements means people can make informed decisions before getting in to the water," Blair said.

It's safe to go in the water.
Jamie Grill
It's safe to go in the water.

After the south coast extension, Blair said listening posts would be anchored off Crescent Head, Old Bar, Hawks Nest, Redhead beach and Bondi.

There are currently 29 white sharks and 88 bull sharks tagged and a spokesperson for the department said biologists were out on Wednesday tagging more sharks.

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