Twitter now warns Australian swimmers of nearby sharks

Thanks to a recent scientific initiative, swimmers in Western Australia get Twitter notifications whenever there is a nearby shark. Hundreds of transmitters have been fitted to various sharks in the area that send signals to underwater receivers, whenever a shark comes within a kilometer of the coast, a notification is sent through Surf Life Saving Western Australia’s Twitter feed.

Western Australia’s beachgoers are a bit more informed as to the whereabouts of the region’s shark population this summer, thanks to a scientific initiative that has fitted transmitters to more than 300 sharks of various types. The transmitters are picked up by underwater receivers, and when a tagged shark comes within a kilometer of the shore, a tweet appears in the Surf Life Saving Western Australia twitter feed (@SLSWA).