Instead of scanning the beach for fins, Queenslanders can track sharks in near real time on their phones.
Researchers this week tagged three tiger sharks off Fraser Island, near Bundaberg, and their movements can be followed by anyone using a smartphone app.
According to the app, Jedda, a 3.5-metre female tiger shark, is heading north along the coast through the Coral Sea.
Southeast Queensland tiger shark researcher Bonnie Holmes says the app could one day be used to warn people when a shark is in the area.
"Having that information in real time is fantastic and if people do want it for a slight safety reason then absolutely," she told AAP on Friday.
The data will provide insight into the migratory patterns of the sharks, of which little is known, and help ensure the sustainability of the often feared creature.
Ms Holmes is hopeful the research will lead to a reduction in the number of sharks killed in Australian waters under government culling programs.
"We might be able to show they don't go to certain areas so we might be able to remove some of that shark control gear," she said.
The research is a collaboration between a number of Australian scientists and shark tracking organisation Ocearch.
Dr Adam Barnett, a marine and environmental science researcher at James Cook University, said having access to technology and equipment on board the Ocearch research ship is invaluable.
"Having hands-on, safe access to live mature tiger sharks will be a significant boost to research ... providing data we could never have dreamed of achieving on our own," he said.
Researchers will make their way north tagging about 20 sharks between Fraser Island and Cairns, before heading to the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
The study also aims to identify how well protection measures are working. In Queensland, the sharks are only protected within designated areas of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
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