A HIGH-TECH drone will spread its wings on the Tweed Coast this weekend as lifesavers search for every advantage ahead of the busy summer surf season.

A spate of shark attacks on the North Coast in recent months has triggered a sense of unease among some beachgoers and the Cudgen and Fingal surf life saving clubs are turning to the latest technology to try and ensure the safety of swimmers.

The Cudgen club employed a $25,000 Mini Ripper drone to watch over the almost 200 competitors who took part in the annual Cudgen Classic junior ironman event on Sunday.

The success of that operation has prompted the drone operators to strike up an ongoing relationship with the club.

Little Ripper Group spokeswoman Leanne St George said the drone would be back in action at Kingscliff this Saturday and Sunday and there were plans to continue patrolling the skies above the beach.

Ms St George said the Mini Ripper would also be deployed at Fingal on Sunday where it would be used to observe club members taking part in a training session.

"I understand it went very well on Sunday,” Ms St George said.

"The plan is to keep working with the club which in turn will allow us to continue to develop the technology.”

Cudgen SLSC director of surf lifesaving Michael Crawly said the drone, which delivers live footage to an operator on the beach, would add to the existing water safety measures already in place.

"For those of us who have to manage water safety, having aerial surveillance is an added advantage,” he said.

"We've been playing with this technology for 12 months now and this is about integrating that technology into our operations.”

The development of the Little Ripper drones has coincided with a shocking spate of shark attacks.

Since January 2015 there have been at least 13 attacks on the North Coast, including three in the past six weeks.

The attacks have triggered calls for the roll out of shark nets off North Coast beaches and Tweed Coast residents have been asked for their input ahead of the planned installation.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries has launched an online survey to canvas community views on the nets.

The six-month trial will use the same type of nets already in use from Newcastle to Wollongong and on the Gold Coast.

The 150m long nets are 6m deep with 60cm mesh, and are typically placed about 500m offshore and parallel to the beach near surf-clubs or patrolled swimming areas.

The online survey is available at dpi.nsw.gov.au/sharks until 5pm on Sunday.