Since humans have gone into the water with sharks the desire to be able to repel sharks has always been ever-present. The natives in the Amazon used red peppers dragged behind a boat to stop bull sharks and many other ancient cultures used many other methods with little or no definitive success.
Until the 1900′s no real effort was pursued and the pivotal moment was the USS Indianapolis which was sunk in World War II. Once the sailors went into the water the ocean white tips and other open ocean sharks picked off those who survived in great numbers.
This prompted the US navy to develop a shark repellent that would give sailors a sense of comfort and safety if they found themselves in the water with sharks. The packet was composed of a dye and copper acetate as the main ingredients which in some cases deterred sharks. There was also a bag that the sailor or airman got into which masked his scent and hopefully prevented a shark attack.
Under optimal conditions these deterrents and protective measure worked but the shark being one of the ultimate predators of the oceans was not always prevented from attacking the person in the water. So many conditions need to be perfect for these deterrents to be effective such as the type of shark, the water conditions, salinity, current, proximity to the shark and how hungry the shark is.
In recent years technology has improved and so have innovations in shark defense. Magnets, electro-magnetic fields and chemicals have been developed with varying claims of success.
Some of the products on the market today are the shark banz, shark shield, shark replusion, shark chaser, electronic shark defense system, shark defense and a new entry being, shark bio barrier. Well, the shark may or may not be affected by any or all these systems at any given time, place or condition. That’s a fact!
The prices range from $25 to $499 and everything in between. One thing to consider if the shark deterrent is an electronic device then the salt water will eventually render it useless. If it is a passive magnet device then it won’t break but the science is still uncertain as to its effectiveness. And if it depends on a dead shark chemical then it still is affected by currents, the type of shark, water conditions and other variables. In other words nothing works all the time every time, period!
The thing about sharks is they are smarter than we realize and will sense that the particular deterrent they are dealing with has its limitations and will exploit the limitations by testing what it can or can not do. Remember that all the testing in the world will not prevent an ambush attack or an aggressive shark such as a large bull or tiger shark.
The shark deterrent, shark bio barrier is based on the shark’s smell and electric sensing system and it is a passive system which can’t break or fail due to a malfunction. The bio available essential oils with the natural magnetic mineral, magnetite work in combination to mask your odor, make your presence unpleasant and disrupt their electric sensing system. Priced at $29.95 for the recreational size it is very affordable and comes in a canister with a built in brush so you can lightly coat different objects on your person prior to entering the water. Very easy to apply and remove.
Is it perfect? No, nothing is and may never be! There are so many different species of dangerous sharks that under various conditions will attack out of curiosity, hunger or outright aggression. There are too many variables in play to guarantee total shark deterrence but if you are able to deter many of them then you are much safer than the people who choose to use nothing at all. Peace of mind is priceless and anything that can provide it is also priceless.
Do your own research and make an educated decision on what shark deterrent you want to depend on. Something to consider is that the US Navy has not officially endorsed any shark repellent on the market today and they have the most stringent testing requirements in the world today!