A new device invented by a surfer might repel shark attacks
Shark attacks on people are exceedingly rare, but they do happen. Humans on surfboards can look like seals and other natural prey.
A few people have tried to start up controversial "shark culling" programs to make it legal to shoot sharks on sight. There may be a more humane and practical solution though.
Sharks have special organs that are sensitive to electromagnetic fields and help them home in on prey. A new shark-repelling device claims to scramble this sense.
It was invented by surf board maker Dave Smith. Some surfers have already begun installing the devices in their boards through Smith's startup company called Surf Safe.
It's fairly simple to install. The main charge box is embedded on the underside of a surfboard, near the fins at the back.
This wire carries the electric signal intended to scramble sharks' hunting organ. If it isn't precisely aligned along the underside of the board, though, it may not work.
Surfer Arlen Macpherson tested one of the shark repellent boards at Sydney's Bondi Beach in Australia on Aug. 18. Surfers need to charge up the device before they paddle out.
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The company says you should feel a pulse in the water below the board if the device is working. It forms a protective three-meter barrier around the board in every direction.
There's some skepticism as to how well these shark repelling devices work though. It's tough to prove the device's effectiveness without putting a human in direct danger.
But Surf Safe and Smith say that "extensive testing has been carried out and continually been carried out with tiger, bull sharks, whaler and other predatory sharks in a frenzied environment."
Here you can see the shark speed away from the board when the device is switched on (look to the top right) during one of Smith's tests.
Macpherson's test went well — no sharks in sight.
Sharks are one of the most misunderstood animals on the planet. Hopefully, shark-repellent surfboards will allow humans and sharks to peacefully coexist.
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