The Western Australian government has said enough is enough. After five fatal shark attacks in the past 10 months, great white sharks caught near the beach will be caught and killed.

We wrote a few weeks ago about the state government considering its options when it comes to allowing people, working holiday visa holders included, indulge in a spot of shark tourism, which basically equates to chucking some blood and guts in the water and waiting for the sharks to come get you AND THEN expecting them to leave you alone once you've had your fun.

But now five people have lost their lives in many people's literal nightmares and the WA government has decided to act.

As part of an almost AU$7 million (£4.5 million) package of strategies aimed at tackling the problems, the newly-created Department of Fisheries will be given AU$2 million (£1.2 million) to track down and kill great white sharks.

"Previously the orders were used in response to an attack, but now proactive action will be taken if a large white shark presents imminent threat to people," said Fisheries Minister Norman Moore, who was quick to add there was "not going to be a shark hunt".

What's the point?

Swimming with sharks would be alright if you were wearing some diamond clad, shark repelling, machine gun armed gear but you're not, you're in the same thing your mum does stepsercise or whatever in in the gym.

Not only that, but you're in their environment. A beached shark or one with a fishbowl full of water on its head would probably still present a bit of a challenge but no, you're in the sea, where they've been hunting for a few hundred million years now without much of a challenge.

Get real

There's plenty of stuff you can do on the beaches and in the seas of WA without resorting to trying to wind up a 5 metre shredding machine with a taste for human flesh.

Try Rockingham Wild Encounters to chill with some penguins and maybe even slap a seal (they won't hit back).

Alternatively, if you want to be on the water, Werner's Hot Spot offers plenty of chance to learn a bit of wind surfing or even kite boarding. Sharks don't like kites.

Above all, if a shark does come looming out of the darkness at you while you're bobbing for apples or whatever, remember, they don't like peanuts, so have some on you.

- Dominic Ladden-Powell is the Online Editor with the Australian Visa Bureau, an independent migration consultancy specialising in helping people lodge applications for a Working Holiday Visa to Australia.

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