Ep 7 | Dan Webber | What the Science Isn't Telling You | Crossing the Tideline
Crossing the TidelineShow Notes
Dan Webber is a journalist, surfer and longtime observer of the shark debate in Australia. He was in the water for two shark attacks during the Ballina cluster of 2014 and 2015, a two year period that saw twelve incidents across a 70km stretch of coastline between Evans Head and Byron Bay. Out of that experience he built the Ballina Shark Reports page, a real time community sighting tool that was running one shark report per day at its peak before the local mayor asked him to take it down.
In the decade since, Dan has gone deep on the research. He's spoken at a Senate inquiry, written multiple academic pieces on shark mitigation technology, and contributed a chapter to an international book on the subject. His work sits in the top 1% of shark related articles on ResearchGate. He is not aligned with the mainstream scientific consensus on a number of issues, and he does not shy away from saying so. This conversation covers what it was actually like inside a community living through a cluster of attacks. How the media arrived, how the fear spread, and how a small group of surfers quietly kept paddling out and looking after each other. We also get into his views on shark nets and why he supports them when most others don't, his deep skepticism of smart drum lines, his theory on bold versus shy shark personalities, and his pointed criticism of what he sees as ideologically driven science that shapes policy in ways that don't serve ocean users.
More from Crossing the Tideline
Hey everyone, welcome to Crossing The Tideline podcast, Brett Burcher here. The word “shark” is often used to describe a broad range of species, but that can overlook some significant differences. Great whites, bull sharks and tiger sharks have different biology, behaviours, movements, diets and population dynamics and those differences matter when we’re talking about how they interact with people and the environments they share. These three species have been highlighted because they are the species most commonly associated with serious interactions with humans in areas where sharks and people overlap. Understanding why that may be, and what makes each species different, is part of understanding the broader picture. For this series of three episodes, we’re taking a closer look at each of these 3 species individually. Each episode is essentially a 101 on the species in focus, covering biology and behaviour, population, growth and recovery, shark encounters and attacks, mitigation, what comes next, and some of the bigger questions surrounding each species. This is the Tiger shark episode and the final episode in this little mini series. The Great white and Bull shark episodes are already in the library. The aim is to build a better understanding of the individual species, rather than grouping everything together under the word “shark”. It then becomes easier to understand the differences between species and add a bit more context to the information, research and conversations that surround them. All 3 episodes are recorded with Dr Paul Butcher, a Principal Research Scientist with NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (Fisheries), based in Coffs Harbour. Paul is a leading marine researcher who has spent years working across shark research and management in NSW, including the NSW Government’s Shark Management Strategy, shark tagging programs, SMART drumlines and research into post-release fish survival. If you have any pressing questions from any of the following eps, please comment or DM through as Paul has generously offered to do an ep dedicated to audience questions once the 3 eps have been aired. These eps were recorded during August and September, 2026.
The word “shark” is often used to describe a broad range of species, but that can overlook some significant differences. Great whites, bull sharks and tiger sharks have different biology, behaviours, movements, diets and population dynamics and those differences matter when we’re talking about how they interact with people and the environments they share. These three species have been highlighted because they are the species most commonly associated with serious interactions with humans in areas where sharks and people overlap. Understanding why that may be, and what makes each species different, is part of understanding the broader picture. For this series of three episodes, we’re taking a closer look at each of these 3 species individually. Each episode is essentially a 101 on the species in focus, covering biology and behaviour, population, growth and recovery, shark encounters and attacks, mitigation, what comes next, and some of the bigger questions surrounding each species. This is the Bull shark episode and the second episode in this little mini series. The Great white ep is already in the library and the tiger shark ep will drop in the coming weeks. The aim is to build a better understanding of the individual species, rather than grouping everything together under the word “shark”. It then becomes easier to understand the differences between species and add a bit more context to the information, research and conversations that surround them.
The word shark is often used to describe a broad range of species, but that can overlook some significant differences. Great whites, bull sharks and tiger sharks have different biology, behaviours, movements, diets and population dynamics. Those differences matter when we're talking about how they interact with people and the environments they share. This is a three part mini-series taking a closer look at each species individually, recorded with Dr Paul Butcher, Principal Research Scientist with the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, based in Coffs Harbour. Paul has spent years leading shark research and management in NSW, including the government's Shark Management Strategy, shark tagging programs, SMART drumlines and post-release survival research. Each episode is a 101 on the species in focus.
Welcome to Crossing the tideline podcast, Brett Burcher here. In this ep you will Meet Aaron Graham, founder of Proguarding, a company that delivers water safety and medical services to a range of industries. Aaron and his team currently run control Trauma first aid courses across Australia. Ive been to a few of these courses and they are shockingly good. They provide first response style training for life threatening trauma wounds and injuries. They make it so realistic and the info, both the theoretical and practical side of things is so comprehensive, relatable and transferable to all type of situations. The reason I say shockingly good is because after doing the first course, I was quite shocked and disappointed in myself that I did not already have these skills.l. it’s an incredible initiative and Aaron will be chatting us through everything we need to know about these courses. We will also hear from Paddy James, who facilitates the courses. His experience in emergency situations is so noticeable when you partake in the course. Paddy certainly doesnt fuck around and he gives us some expert tips on what to do if we find ourselves first on scene to a traumatic injury. Quick little note before we roll in, I need to clarify the timeline when Aaron is sharing the story of Barney the shark spotter in the opening minutes of the chat. The numbers are from 14 days of shark spotting, not a years worth. Astounding stat. Not much got past Barney It would seem. This chat was recorded at 3pm on March 5th 2026.
Lucas Townsend is the CEO of Surfing NSW and has been in the rooms where funding decisions are being made. A Northern Beaches local himself, he understands what communities have been living through and has been pushing for surfer representation at a government level through one of the most active periods of shark activity NSW has seen.