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The sea has traditionally been a central aspect of Glen Butler's life.

Over 50 years a board enthusiast for half a century and, during that period, he explains he rarely concerned himself about sharks.

"You're aware you're venturing into their domain, so you're cautious," the senior surfer remarked.

Yet the surfer's confidence while surfing was shaken in recent weeks.

He traveled for a wave session with his friends one early weekend at Long Reef in Sydney's northern beaches. Not long after the surfer got out of the water, companion surfer the local waterman was killed by a great white shark.

"It's shaken us a bit," Mr Butler confesses. The victim and his brother Mike were recognized in the local community, he adds: "Typically you'd say g'day."

The nation Deadliest Spot for Shark Attacks

The country is home to numerous the globally renowned beaches. Above 80% of the citizens dwells on the coast, so an dawn ocean swim or boarding is typical for many of individuals each day.

But there are people who believe that daily ritual is growing increasingly hazardous.

Mirek Craney is one of them.

The senior Sydneysider recalls gawking at huge large predators captured by fishermen as a kid, in the days the presently safeguarded species could still be permitted to be caught.

Seeing these deceased animals hung by their tails caused a "gallows-like" emotion, he describes, but not fear. Marine predators were animals of the open sea, he reasoned, and he rode waves in the shallower inlets.

Yet half a decade back, his child Anika was bitten by a shark species while free-diving on the marine park. Even though she survived, it made the father worried about the marine life – a concern that escalates with each dramatic news story about an attack.

"These things affect me… I'm freaked out," he confesses.

Although 'The victim was only the second person fatally attacked by a shark encounter in Sydney over the past half-century, it's little comfort to those who regularly use the coastal areas.

Each board enthusiast interviewed in the time after the victim's fatal encounter stated they believe shark sightings in shallow waters are turning rising.

"Sometimes we may have observed a unidentified shape, but it may have been a dolphin," says the resident. "Presently, I observe them regularly."

Several worry that shark numbers are growing exponentially, after various kinds - encompassing the planet's most lethal shark species, great whites and tigers - were given varying degrees of protection in the nation's oceans.

There's little scientific study on marine predator statistics to conclusively determine either way – but experts suggest an growth in observations doesn't necessarily mean there are more sharks.

Environmental experts suggest that rising sea temperatures are altering the movement and hunting behaviors of sharks. But experts note any rise in observations is primarily because of more and more beachgoers going into the water, and they are amplified by online platforms.

The probability of being nipped by a shark in this country is still very low. People are many thousands times higher chance to suffer drowning. Certainly, however, that the land is a shark attack hotspot.

It is only behind the US - a land with 13 times the people - for marine incidents, and it ranks first the planet for lethal encounters, as per the global database.

The tracking system only monitors "non-induced" encounters – omitting those likely encouraged by humans through activities such as underwater hunting – but a complete collection of all documented shark interactions in the country is kept by conservation group.

Records demonstrate that predator encounters have generally been increasing over the past years. Thus far this time there have been multiple deadly incidents - all non-induced.

Nets 'Similar to a Paper in a Pool'

NSW had been preparing to experiment reducing its implementation of marine barriers – its longest-running predator prevention approach – when the recent deadly incident took place.

Marine barriers have been used in the region since the 1930s and currently are commonly deployed on numerous coastal areas from late winter through to late summer. In addition to Queensland, it is the exclusive area that maintains them.

It's impossible to fully surround complete coastal areas – sea states are too strong and would readily sweep the barriers away.

Rather, the predator meshes are approximately 150m in length and are positioned a multiple meters below the ocean surface. Though secured to the sea floor at locations, they don't reach the base. So ocean hunters can move over, beneath and beyond them.

"It's like throwing a paper into the pool," University of Sydney Academic a marine expert commented.

Local authorities explains shark nets are "not intended to establish a total division between bathers and predators" but alternatively attempt to "catch certain species" during any {hunts