Shark Deterrent Technology: Hear the facts. You decide.

[Abdullah]

How well does it work with Oceanic White Tips?

 

[SharkShield]

There are no know effects on other marine life because only chondrichthyes — sharks, rays, skates and chimeras — possess ampullary receptors in their heads which are used to find food, communicate and find a mate.

If your out seeking sharks to get up close and personal with your photography then Shark Shield will not be right for you. As manufacturers we must legally give warming statements of which one is to have the device always turned on because its the shark you don't see that 's historically the problem, however we know of many shark divers who leave it off, but have it as a safety device if required.

---------- Post added May 12th, 2013 at 12:17 PM ----------

You can see the testing done on Oceanic White Tips here Shark Shield - Oceanic White Tip Shark Testing - YouTube

Just as an FYI Diane Nyad used Shark Shield for her Cuba to Florida extreme swim attempt with Marine Biologist and shark diver Luke Tipple as the safety crew, Luke confirmed the Shark Shield worked well against the Oceanic White Tips.

---------- Post added May 12th, 2013 at 12:26 PM ----------

Hi Stephen,

I live in South Australia (SA). A key concern to those of us here in SA who go into the sea is the potential for in-water encounters with Great White Sharks. I am a scuba diver who is currently using my second Sharkshield product (i.e. a Freedom 7). While the product is widely used here by scuba divers, there are sceptics. The product appears to have some limitations as evident in the results of a recent SA government study whose report can be downloaded from a link on the following thread - http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/sh...ess-shark-shield-freedom-7-a.html#post6394300.

---------- Post added May 11th, 2013 at 03:51 PM ----------



Hi flot am

The number of shark attacks in Australia since 2002 can be viewed with details of the events & in most cases, the names of the deceased - Shark attacks in Australia: Timeline - Australian Geographic. From the list, the following individuals were scuba diving - Peter Kurmann, George Thomas Wainwright, an abalone diver taken in 17 February 2011 (i.e. Peter Clarkson) and Jarrod Stehbens. The former two were diving in Western Australia (WA) and latter two were diving in South Australia (SA). There are at least two scuba diver fatalities caused by sharks in SA - single fatalities in 1986 and 1991.

While your average per decade appears to be about right, one's perspective changes when one personally knows either the fatality, his/her family or friends, or people present at the attack as I have discovered.

---------- Post added May 11th, 2013 at 03:52 PM ----------



Hi AaronRiot,

Both units that I have owned had on/off switches.

---------- Post added May 11th, 2013 at 04:00 PM ----------



Hi NetDoc,

Firstly, I have noticed that the electric field does irritate some animals (i.e. crabs). Secondly, Sharkshields do not repel all sharks and rays - a dive buddy had a close encounter with a large 7 gill shark whose not affected by the shields worn by my buddy & those diving with him. Most of the relatively harmless (or almost harmless) sharks (including catsharks) appear to not affected by the field. The manufacturers' instruction indicates that the product is intended for predatory sharks whose snorts have Ampullae of Lorenzini.

For those interested in the independent scientific, including the one referenced above in South Australia in 2012 Shark Shield - Effects of the Shark Shield Electrical Deterrent on the Behaviour of White Sharks - YouTube there is a dedicated section on our YouTube Channel or you can download the full research reports from our website.

The fact that the South Australian lead researcher (Huveneers) walked into our shop to buy a Shark Shield after conducting the research I believe states how he feels about the technology.

 

[TUTs_mama]

Thank you guys for this discussion! My daughter is almost six and loves to be in the ocean. As a diver, I am not too worried about sharks, but due to her young age and extended periods of time on the surface, I have greatly considered buying this product for us to use when we take her snorkeling. The reviews for this product look promising and I think it would give this mother a little extra piece of mind.

 

[Divescape]

As a sharksheild user please would you first consider finding a friendly dealer that will lend you a loan unit so that you and your daughter can feel for yourselves the effect of when the electrode touches your body or your head, there can be a considerable jolt from the unit. That being said however as a user I am well aware of this and it does not bother me for the peace of mind I have when I am floating on the surface for extended periods of time. Still I feel it is worth a mention as I would hate to see her discouraged if the shock that can be experienced from the unit were to disproportionately affect her due to body mass or sensitivity to an electric shock.

For me the security of having a unit far outways its limitations or not using one at all when I spend extended periods of time on the surface in Great White hot spots.

I love it that your daughter is passionate about the sea!

 

[bada3003]

As a sharksheild user please would you first consider finding a friendly dealer that will lend you a loan unit so that you and your daughter can feel for yourselves the effect of when the electrode touches your body or your head, there can be a considerable jolt from the unit. That being said however as a user I am well aware of this and it does not bother me for the peace of mind I have when I am floating on the surface for extended periods of time. Still I feel it is worth a mention as I would hate to see her discouraged if the shock that can be experienced from the unit were to disproportionately affect her due to body mass or sensitivity to an electric shock.

For me the security of having a unit far outways its limitations or not using one at all when I spend extended periods of time on the surface in Great White hot spots.

I love it that your daughter is passionate about the sea!

Not sure where this discussion is drifting but I would strongly recommend the report "The effectiveness of the Shark Shield Freedom 7" pointed out diver257a. Two items that stick out in the report:

(a) it seems there have been few (or no) independent studies evaluating the effectiveness of the sharkshield tool;
(b) the results of the study (with varying bait configuration and proximity) indicate mixed outcomes in deterring shark attacks.

Given that unprovoked shark attacks are rare to begin with, it's unclear what quantitative benefit the sharkshield tool actually provides. I know that government funded research has tried to come up with feasible shark attack deterrents but, if I'm not mistaken, with mixed results.

A side note: remember seeing a program (believe a Nat Geo shark week thingy) where an orca attacked/killed a great white. The program claimed that other great whites that had congregated in the area were nowhere to be seen subsequently. If all of this is true, one wonders how the other great whites got wind of the news. And maybe spreading such news could be a deterrent.

 

[The Chairman]

A side note: remember seeing a program (believe a Nat Geo shark week thingy) where an orca attacked/killed a great white. The program claimed that other great whites that had congregated in the area were nowhere to be seen subsequently. If all of this is true, one wonders how the other great whites got wind of the news. And maybe spreading such news could be a deterrent.

Watch it again. They figured it out. I still don't want to chase them away.

 

[bada3003]

Watch it again. They figured it out. I still don't want to chase them away.

Must have been a different program cause don't remember seeing anything about explanation. Google search finds among other links

Shark deterrent - Pensacola Fishing Forum

which points to what NetDoc states. Apparently they already got products out. In fairness to SharkShield, great whites seem to prefer ambushing from below, so assuming their product provides some deterrent effect, the continuous nature of the emitted signal (if effective at a distance) might provide a distinguishing feature.

As to not wanting to chase them away, I agree with that. Government funded shark repellant research seems to have targeted emergency situations, such as sinking Navy ships, and protecting sailors in the water before help arrives.

 

[The Chairman]

They noticed that the Orca only ate the Great White's liver. Then they removed a liver from a lemon (?) shark and let the body decay. After a day or so, they scooped up some of the water and when they splashed it into a feeding frenzy of lemon sharks, they all took off. It was pretty freaking amazing.

 

[SlewFoot]

What about the shark repellent as shown on Discovery Channels Shark week, deployed for an aerosol can under water when sharks are present or pose a threat?

Shark Repellent Aerosol Canisters

 

[The Chairman]

Again, I go into the water to SEE sharks. I would have serious issues with someone trying to run them off. I've dove with hammerheads, bulls, reefies, the ever dreaded nurse shark, lemons and even a Great White with absolutely no injuries. I'm not on their menu and they don't like bubbles. I would rather have something that would make them less skittish, like a rebreather rather than chase them away.