It would be a rare surfer that has not seen the footage or heard about the shark attack on Mick Fanning at the surfing competition in the Open World Surfing League event in Jefferys Bay, South Africa this week. Other shark attacks have been brought to the forefront in the media with photos of dark shapes and fins lurking close to surfers. The debate on shark culling has also been rehashed, the pros and cons of shark netting has again become a hot topic. So what can be done that makes it safer for the surfer to share the ocean home of the shark?

The bottom line is that no matter what actions are taken to remove sharks from popular beaches and surf spots, the risk of shark attack causes the most fear in the sport of surfing. This is a primal fear for humans as is the fear of any animal that approaches at speed bearing teeth, made worse if the animal is larger and moves faster than a human. It is well documented that the chance of a human being attacked by a shark is low, but most surfers would welcome the opportunity to decrease the risk even lower again.

There are several actions which can be taken by surfers to reduce the chance of a shark attack currently being recommended by scientists and high tech companies. These include actions that can be taken by the surfer, colour selection for surfing, and the board itself acting as a shark repellent.

Most surfers know that being in the water in times of low light is more dangerous in terms of shark attacks. Not only is visibility reduced for the surfer who in other circumstances may have the opportunity to leave the water if a shark is sighted, but the shark hunting for food has less chance of differentiating between its prey and a human on a board. The peak feeding time for sharks is early morning and late afternoon. It’s not hard to work out that surfing at dawn or dusk is not ideal if you are wanting to reduce your chance of being attacked by a shark!.

Similarly, the bottom of a surfboard viewed from underneath can resemble seals and some fish with experts believing that most shark attacks are a case of mistaken identity. With this information in mind it is recommended that surfers do not combine a dark colour for the underside of the board with a white “rashie” and lay on the board with their arms dangling over the edge. This prey look-alike form and colour, viewed in times of low light is a sure way to encourage a shark looking for food to come closer and maybe take a bite.

It would be rare to find anyone that spends time in the ocean that does not know that blood attracts sharks. Never go into the water if you are bleeding, even if the cut or injury is minor. Likewise if you start to bleed from hitting a reef or rocks while surfing, leave the water immediately for your own safety and the safety of other surfers in the same area. Sharks have very keen senses, and blood may attract one from several feet away.

Research indicates that sharks will avoid an area when they smell chemical released by dead and dying sharks. Six chemicals were synthesized from shark glands and tissues and used in experiments. Sharks immediately reacted once they detected these chemicals. To quote a 2004 Associated Press article, "Fisherman and scientists have long noted sharks stay away if they smell a dead shark."^[3]

Given that the first fear listed by the majority of surfers in relation to their sport is the fear of being attacked by a shark, it is not surprising that scientists and technology experts are working at ways of deterring sharks from an object. These shark repellents are aimed at protecting humans by driving the sharks away from areas where people may be swimming or surfing.

For many years fishermen have reported their observations that sharks stay away if they smell a dead shark. Armed with this information, scientists set about discovering what caused this reaction. It was found that specific chemicals are released from the glands of dead sharks. Scientists have been able to reproduce six of these mostly copper based chemicals and the result was a product known as “Shark Chaser”. The US Navy used this product for several decades and found it to be about 70% effective in repelling sharks in some situations.

Technology is now being used to develop shark repellent devices. These work by generating an electric current which is unpleasant for sharks to be close to. This shark repellent system affects the finely tuned sensing organs of the shark (Ampullae of Lorenzini) which can be found around the nose area of the shark. These special sensory organs are electroreceptors and are used by sharks to sense electric fields in the water and changes in temperature gradients.

The search for the ideal and most user friendly (for sharks and other marine life as well as humans) shark repellent continues. And every shark attack on a surfer that is reported in the media brings the market for a proven shark repelling device to the attention of entrepreneurs’ world-wide. Few surfers would turn back the opportunity to be protected from sharks if an affordable non-intrusive device which did not affect performance could be implanted in their surfboard.