Sharks are tenacious beasts. Once they have the reek of blood in their nostrils, they head in for the kill. ‘Bye ‘bye prey. Of course, the smell of blood may also lure these magnificent killers to tear apart the carcass of something already dead. Nothing will stop them. They are relentless, unforgiving and stone cold predators. Lawyers study sharks as part of their curriculum to prepare themselves for their legal battles. Biologists study sharks as part of their curriculum to prepare themselves for a deeper understanding of the animals’ behaviour.
Surfers study sharks to prepare themselves for ways in how to avoid them altogether. As surfers, we know – or should know – sharks are always out there. We know they are one of the biggest risks we face. We know they are the apex predators out there, we know we are invading their turf every time we paddle out, we know non-surfers call shark attack victims irresponsible, blah blah blah, heard it all before and a bag of fishpaste-scented candles and here’s a free t shirt. We’re not about to discuss how we surfers need to find a way to live with sharks, ‘coz most reasonable, experienced surfers have already done that.
No. In Surf Science today, we discuss some of the innovations attempted to try mitigate the chances of future, unpleasant human/enormous prehistoric beast interactions. Now, we ain’t discussing things like shark nets, which are rather more general than devices aimed at the sole purpose of protecting individuals. We’re looking at inventions tailored to surfers, divers, serious ocean swimmers and the like. Yes, even SUPers. Nobody deserves to die a bloody death in the serrated-teeth mouth of a gigantic fish. Except perhaps child fiddlers, which is not up for debate.
Feed ’em to the sharks we say.
We at Trident can admire the sleek design of sharks, their efficiency honed over millions of years of evolution (fun fact – did you know sharks evolved before trees?) – yet, like hurricanes, lava and bulimic supermodels throwing hissy fits, for all their beauty we know how dangerous sharks can be. Inventors have tinkered and failed, but we’re gonna talk about some devices that show a varying degree of efficacy in attack minimising – if not outright prevention.
The classic TV show Mythbusters once attempted an experiment based around the anecdotal thought that the smell of dead sharks repels their luckier, living buddies. Apparently, there was some level of success. Now, call us defeatist – but we’re not about to lug around the carcass of a dead shark every time we surf. We’re also not sure if this works with any species of dead sharks, so all in all – this may work, but it seems impractical to say the least.
Then there are the devices intended to deter attacks. Various brands are of shark repellents are available, in a range of sizes to fit to a board or leash or your head (why not). These emit a magnetic pulse which is about as pleasant to sharks as sushi made from cow dung is to us. These are quite effective supposedly, yet even so, they are not infallible. Also, they’re kinda pricey, so… give it a go if you have the bucks but there is no absolute certainty they’ll work.
A good friend of Trident suggested putting eyes on the bottom deck of your board. This kinda makes sense, as no predator wants to be faced with an equally intimidating, unknown beast staring right back at them. Still, the silhouette theory (ie: a surfboard looks like prey when seen from below against the glare of the sun) may make this colloquial theory redundant.
It’s simple folks. Take whatever precautions you can, whether it’s the striped leash that looks like a sea snake to repel shark, or an expensive magnetic wristband. If you can afford it – go for it, it’s not gonna make things worse. However, the most effective way of avoiding sharks in the first place is not to enter the ocean. Full stop. Good luck with that.
