There’s a relatively new invention out there that promises to keep sharks away from you in the water. It’s called the Shark Shield.
- Shark Shield gives off electric field that keeps sharks away
- Product being marketed to "professional adventurers"
In theory, the Shark Shield gives off an electric field that keeps sharks away. The lightweight device consists of two electrodes which emit a three-dimensional protective field around the user.
When a shark comes within a few meters of the device, the strong electrical field triggers the shark to experience muscle spasms in the sensitive electrical receptors in their snout. The discomfort should cause the shark to swim away.
But does it really work? According to the company’s website, it’s the only product scientifically proven to get results.
However, Shark Shield is also very expensive, with devices starting at $600. As such, the company behind the Shark Shield, which has offices in St. Petersburg and also in Australia, markets the product towards “professional adventurers”, not the average swimmer who gets in the ocean in the summer.
Shark Shield is also finding users in the film making industry. Recently, the devices were used to keep curious sharks away during the filming of U.S.S. Indianapolis: Men of Courage, starring Nicholas Cage and Tom Sizemore, which was partly shot in the Gulf of Mexico.
"So anytime you're out fishing in the water, a lot of the sharks have learned to follow the boats out. So they listen for the motors and then as soon as you start bringing in fish, they take the fish off your line," said Shark Shield manager Amanda Wilson. "So we even have deep sea fishermen that use it, commercial fishermen that use it, anywhere you want to avoid sharks. I mean there are plenty of scuba divers that are recreational that use our product because they have a fear of sharks, but not everybody does.”
For more information about the Shark Shield, visit sharkshield.com.