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The sea has traditionally been a major aspect of Glen Butler's daily routine.

Over 50 years a surfer for 50 years and, throughout those years, he says he seldom concerned himself about sharks.

"You recognize you're entering into their environment, so you're careful," the senior surfer stated.

But Mr Butler's comfort while surfing was broken in recent weeks.

He traveled for a wave session with his surfing buddies one early weekend at the coastal spot in Sydney's northern beaches. A few minutes after he left of the water, another wave rider Mercury Psillakis was tragically lost by a great white shark.

"It's shaken us a bit," the surfer admits. The surfer and his identical sibling Mike were recognized in the local community, he adds: "You would regularly say greetings."

Australia Deadliest Spot for Marine Encounters

Australia is location to numerous the planet's finest coastal areas. Over 80% of the citizens resides on the coast, so an early morning dip or wave session is standard for numerous of individuals daily.

But there are individuals who believe that regular routine is becoming increasingly hazardous.

A Sydney resident is one of them.

The 66-year-old local recollects staring at enormous large predators caught by anglers as a child, during the era the currently protected species could still be legally hunted.

Seeing these deceased animals suspended by their rear fins elicited a "gallows-like" sensation, he explains, but not fear. Sharks were creatures of the marine depths, he thought, and he boarded in the shallower inlets.

But five years ago, his child his daughter was bitten by a shark species while diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Although she lived through, it led the father worried about the marine life – a concern that increases with each splashy report about an encounter.

"These things trigger me… I'm freaked out," he admits.

While 'The surfer was only the second person killed by a shark encounter in the metropolitan area over the past half-century, it's little comfort to those who frequently visit the urban shorelines.

All surfer contacted in the period after Psillakis' death commented they feel marine predator observations near the coastline are growing increasingly common.

"We occasionally could have spotted a shadowy figure, but it could have been a marine mammal," notes Mr Craney. "Now, I spot them regularly."

Certain concern that shark numbers are exploding, after various kinds - including the globally most dangerous marine predators, great whites and tiger sharks - were awarded varying degrees of protection in Australian waters.

Scarce investigation on shark numbers to conclusively determine any direction – but experts contend an growth in observations isn't always proof there are increased populations.

Environmental experts propose that heating marine waters are changing the migration and feeding behaviors of sharks. But researchers say any rise in observations is mainly down to increasing numbers of individuals venturing into the sea, and they are amplified by digital networks.

The likelihood of being nipped by a ocean hunter in Australia is still very low. People are several thousand times more probable to suffer drowning. It is true, nevertheless, that the nation is a shark attack hotspot.

Australia places next after the United States - a nation with 13 times the people - for marine incidents, and it leads the planet for fatal attacks, according to the global database.

This record only records "unprovoked" events – not including those likely prompted by people through practices such as spear fishing – but a fuller record of all documented shark interactions in Australia is maintained by conservation group.

It shows that marine incidents have broadly been increasing over recent decades. Already this time there have been several deadly incidents - each unprovoked.

Barriers 'Similar to a Tissue in a Water Body'

The state had been about to trial decreasing its use of shark nets – its longest-running shark safety technique – when the latest fatal attack occurred.

Marine barriers have been used in the region since nearly a century and currently are usually deployed on numerous coastal areas from early spring through to early autumn. In addition to Queensland, it is the only state that maintains them.

It cannot be done to completely enclose entire beaches – ocean conditions are too strong and would easily sweep the meshes away.

Instead, the shark nets are around 150m extending and are positioned a few metres under the sea level. Although secured to the sea floor at spots, they fail to touch the seafloor. So sharks can swim above, beneath and around them.

"It's like dropping a napkin into the pool," Academic institution Researcher Chris Pepin-Neff stated.

The state government states shark nets are "not intended to create a full division between bathers and sharks" but rather attempt to "catch specific predators" during any {hunts