Whether we speak out about it or not, there’s always a looming thought in the back of a surfer’s mind… Could this be the day I come into contact with a shark? If your living in Western Australia, the thought is more likely to become a reality than anywhere else in the world. Thankfully, two professors from The Oceans Institute at the University of Western Australia, Prof Shaun Collin and Prof Nathan Hart, have developed some ground-breaking research that has lent to the world’s first shark-repellent wetsuits. In collaboration with Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS) and Australian wetsuit outfit Radiator, they’ve brought two suits to the market that could very well save lives.
First up, the “Elude”, using SAMS Cryptic Technology. Intended for divers, and based on your standard camouflage design, this suit is made specifically to mimic different depths in Mediterranean and Pacific waters. The basic idea is, what the shark can’t see, he can’t attack. Using ‘disruptive coloration and shaping’, the pattern allows you to blend into the surrounding waters, supposedly, allowing you to conduct your underwater duties in peace.
Next, we have the “Diverter”, using SAMS Warning Technology. These wetsuits, designed for the surfer, display a bold white and dark-colored striped pattern. Based on the idea that many fish/snakes use bold striped patterns to let sharks know ‘Hey man, you probably don’t want to eat me, because it might be the last thing you ever do’. A slightly less refined tactic than the dive suits (but apparently an effective one), the stripes are used to put off a shark from ever attacking in the first place. Simple enough. Although, a slightly disconcerting fact, this also implies that you will automatically become more visible to the sharks color-blind eyes (or cone monochromatic, for all of you biology majors who I know are currently reading this article). This is the point made by George Burgess, who is director of the Florida Program for Shark Research. Burgess suggests “That striped suit that is supposed to look like a lionfish is about as nice a thing as you can do to attract a shark, because of the contrast between dark and light”. There you have it, nothing that seems this ‘too good to be true’, comes without its opposition.
SAMS website makes it very clear that testing for these suits are still in the initial stages and that there is no guarantee that these suits are 100% effective in deterring shark attacks. But, as we all know, the potential of shark attacks is far more prevalent in the mind, than in reality. That being said, I imagine the peace of mind these suits can lend, is potentially worth the price of the suits alone (starting at $440).
So, is the future of surfing really a lineup full of surfers in the same bold-striped wetsuit? A world where you’re looked at as insane if you jump in the water without one? It’s seems hard to imagine, although when you think about it, we are all currently rockin’ the same stale, black, neoprene gear. Maybe that has been the problem all along. Maybe this actually is the solution, one that’s so simple, yet ingenious. Who knows? Only time will tell. But now, I suppose we all have a solution to root for.