Do shark repelling devices work?

 
We see a lot of devices advertised that claim to repel sharks. The question is, do they work?
A lot of these devices use either electricity or magnets that are supposed to repel sharks, others claim that a certain color pattern will prevent a shark from biting the wearer.

I have always been skeptical of these devices, since I have seen sharks been simultaneously attracted to and repelled by the same object. Some of the makers of these devices use videos that show sharks jerk away from their gadgets in their advertising. (just search for shark repellent on youtube) In my experience, anything that causes a reaction by a shark, even one that shows it jerking away and taking off, is also peaking its curiosity, which could mean that these devices may actually increase your chances of getting bit.

I have seen 3 white sharks swim in to investigate a beach towel that got blown overboard. All of them jerked away and took off. While 2 took off for good, one came back, jerked away again, but kept coming back. I don't know weather it eventually bit the towel or not, because I lost sight of them, as they descended too deep to see. It definitely did show though, that even if something causes a shark to take off, it can also peak its curiosity and bring it back to investigate.

Now we have proof that at least one of these devices definitely does not work. The Daily Mail reports that a surfer in Florida got bit while wearing the "sharkbanz"

source

The article states that:

"A teenager has been bitten by a shark while wearing the new shark-repelling band he got for Christmas for the first time. Zack Davis suffered a huge bite to his arm while surfing near Avalon Beach State Park on North Hutchinson Island in Florida. The teen was wearing a new band with magnetic technology that claims to repel sharks away from swimmers." Read the entire article here

Of course I'm not the first to say that these devices don't work. DaShark has called it back in January, when he wrote "Sharkbanz - total scam" You can read his what he said here

Don't get suckered in and buy these products. At best, they simply don't work and at worst may actually increase your chances of a shark encounter.

Cheers,

Martin Graf
CEO
Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.

A 99.999999% effective shark repellent!

Finally, after years of careful research and countless hours spent analyzing shark bite data from all over the world, after comparing all the shark repelling products on the market, we at Shark Diver have found the one shark repellent that works in give or take 99.999999% of the time.

But first, a little background on our research. To obtain our data, we have been diving with Great White Sharks at Isla Guadalupe, Tiger Sharks in the Bahamas and Bull Sharks in Fiji.

Everyone is always skeptical about the testing methods used to obtain the data. The companies advertising their products always say that you can't test the product on humans, because of the dangers involved. We are so confident in our shark repellent, that we put our own butts on the line to proof the effectiveness. More than anyone else can say. ... Oh yes, we have taken some pictures, documenting our work, for all you naysayers out there.

 

Ooops, the shark came a little close here.

A Tiger Shark showing no interest in biting the diver.

But what about the supposedly most aggressive shark, the Bull Shark?

Wow, that was close, but once again, even a Bull Shark didn't bite the test subject.

But how about a lot of Bull Sharks?

The video shows, that the sharks came close, but again, showed no interest in biting our test subjects.

So what is this incredible shark deterrent, that is so effective, that if it were a drug, it would be the most effective drug ever produced? So effective that there is not a single safety device out there, that has a better success rate? Well, it is quite simple actually. The common denominator for all the people that went into the water for thousands of years is this. The were all human! Being human gives you such a miniscule chance of getting bit or killed by a shark, that there is simply no way to design a device that will statistically lower your chances of getting bit by a shark. Think about it, what else is 99.999999% safe?

So let's go out and enjoy the ocean. Just be careful on your way there and watch out for those rip currents.

Cheers,
Martin Graf
CEO Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at staff@sharkdiver.com.