Lennox Head Shark Barrier Nearing Completion

The Aquarius Barrier at Lennox Head has come closer to  completion as work now begins on installing the barrier itself. On Tuesday morning the outer wall (170m long) was pulled out into the ocean and secured to the ground chain by the dive team. The process took most of the day while the divers had to contend with murky water conditions due to disrupted sediment. If weather conditions allow, the Lennox Head shark barrier could be in place as early as this weekend. 

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Most of the installation construction work involved installing the mooring system that holds the shark barrier to the seabed, which has now been fully completed. The team have successfully installed all 21 x 2.4t concrete blocks, 86 x 50kg stingray anchors and 650m of ground chain. 

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Monthly Update: Aquarius Barrier Middleton Beach

The Aquarius Barrier had its third monthly service on the 8th July 2016. The barrier has performed exceptionally well in the winter season conditions. The barrier service included checking all struts, clips and barrier components across the entire length of the barrier.

During this service the red floats that identify the two craft access points were upgraded from painted red floats to permanent red material floats. We are also trialling a brand new material for the floats with an exciting feature - this will be announced shortly. 

The growth on the barrier continues to be monitored. Cleaning was originally scheduled for every three months but the dive team has noticed that the barrier growth is predominantly algal which is very lightweight and does not affect the performance of the barrier. It was noted that cleaning is not required in this time-frame, and may not be required at all.  

The Calm after the Storm - Aquarius Barrier at Middleton Beach

The second monthly service of the Aquarius Barrier was conducted before the long weekend and showed no damage or issues with the Aquarius Barrier, after two weeks of extreme winter weather on the South Coast. 

After further consultation with the community, the council, and the Albany Surf Life Saving Club, it was decided that we should introduce another SLSC access point and move the existing access point. There are now two access points marked with red floats, one at the back over near the rocks and the other in the surf zone near the beach. 

Wild Storms Lash Albany Coast - No Damage to Aquarius Barrier

The Aquarius Barrier technology was seriously tested during the wild storms that lashed the South Coast on Saturday the 21st May. Wild winds (100km/h gusts) and huge 6m swells battered the coastline for most of Saturday and again on Tuesday. The monitoring team went out after each storm and found no damage to the Aquarius Barrier.

The barrier has been re-engineered for Middleton Beach following the events in March. We are confident now that this event has proved the barrier's ability to withstand the most extreme storm conditions at Middleton Beach. There was widespread damage caused to homes, buildings, power lines and barriers around the South West and Metropolitan areas of WA, but the Aquarius Barrier got through unscathed.

Another shark barrier product at Coogee Beach in WA was significantly damaged in the storm, further proof that the Aquarius Barrier is now the strongest eco-friendly shark barrier in the world. 

The picture on the right is taken from the Albany Advertiser Facebook page showing the wild seas nearby at The Gap. 

Fisheries Minister Joe Francis displays Aquarius Barrier PROPOSED for Quinns Beach Wanneroo

Today the Western Australian State Government announced the next round of funding allocations for shark barrier swimming enclosures. A new barrier will be installed at Quinn's Beach in Wanneroo and another at Sorrento Beach in Joondalup. 

The Fisheries Minister, Joe Francis, made the announcement alongside the sample display of the Aquarius Barrier (pictured below). 

According to Mr Francis, the enclosure at Quinns Rocks would provide peace-of-mind to thousands of swimmers who used the beach each year. He also said that the enclosure would be an eco-friendly design to ensure it did not trap sea-life and allowed fish to swim through.