Saw the mascot today!

They say it can't call in sharks because the field just does not propagate like say the sound waves of a car alarm.

The electrical field dies out quickly as the distance from the boat increases.

so more like a strong magnet than a car alarm for you folks that need those analogies.

That said, I have a math degree and a computer science degree, I skimped on the physics.

As for not being able to deter the GWS, I have heard accounts of  last minute swerving to avoid the collision, which I could believe they are capable of but I'd be happy if they just clamped their mouths shut on impact and high tailed it afterwards.

Basically the device isn't too much of a hassle to use so that is not really the barrier but it is $700.  To some $700 is a weeks pay and to others it's less than an hour. Well, I have spent $700 on far stupider items so I'd just feel stupid if I got killed by a GWS and was too cheap to spend $700, so there you go, I spent the $700 and I deploy it from 4-mile north.

But I don't really have any idea if it works or not. whatever, we'll find out eventually. and it's no worse than paddling out and fishing like I would have anyway.

As for not getting shocked everytime I touch it, danglin, it doesn't sound right that you get shocked everytime you touch it either, that sounds like a short to me..  I have not been shocked, but all the lights and whatnot behave as expected so I think my unit is operational.

Thanks for the explanation of The Field,  That makes sense as to what I've been told,

Thanks for the Layman terms....

 As far as "To be shocked or not to be,.. That is the Question...."

 Sharky, KayakJack and Myself have been " Zapped " when touching this thing,  The odds are on our side that we will get the Perm Job...

Guess it's back to the Drawing board on that one and get some more answers...

Thanks again for the explanation of the field it generates...
 I like and going to run with it....

Thanks John for explanation the comparo helps.

Then there are guys like Greg Huglin over in South Africa who takes tail and dorsal fin rides . . . I'm not quite ready for thaaaaat.
http://www.ocean.com/film.asp?locationid=44&resourceid=2544&ProdId=&CatId=44&TabID=&SubTabID=

Sean,

This is my closest encounter with big toothy critters in the ocean.  I was ab diving at Van Damme in June.  While sitting in my GW-attracting Hobie Outback, I saw about 12" of a dorsal fin skimming along the top of the water just outside of the kelp bed.  Two more fins followed then disappeared.  I was ready to paddle, not peddle, back to shore.  A few minutes later all three fins surfaced again.  Fortunately, three orcas broached with kelp hanging off of their bodies.  I contacted Orca Network.  A pod of six orcas was spotted off of Elk earlier in the morning, Van Damme early in the early afternoon and 12 miles north of Fort Bragg about 3 pm.  These guys are much less intimidating than the landlord.

Cool photo Grumpy.  I have seen lots of whales and dolphins over the year...always a nice bonus.  I don't feel that way about this sighting! 

PAL-Does the bath trick work???  I'll have to try it! 

I ran my SS the first time Friday at BH and did not get shocked turning it off after pulling up on the beach.  I had it sitting back behind my cooler with the tail running thru the rear scupper.

I'm not convinced they will stop a charging GW, but it seems in the case of most GWS attacks on kayaks, the sharks hang around munching on the yak for a few seconds.  I think it's money well spent if only it deters that sort of behaviour so I can get back in my boat post haste.  I'm a cheapskate, but for the price of the SS I could not replace my kayak....  And how much is a helicoper ride to the hospital, (even if it's only for a heart attack)?  I like the "air bag" analogy...  They might not save you, but it's nice to have em just in case.  We fish in sharky waters...  anything I can have in my favor, I'm all for it!

John,
I think you have not been shocked yet because you played it smart, not messing with it while on the water or with the electrode buried in wet sand that you are standing in. i don't think Danglins unit is shorting out. From reading a fair amount of online reviews from South Africa and Hawaii, it seems getting shocked now and then is common, even while trying ti switch it off. Hell, with the electrode in wet sand, the whole boat is "Live".It nearly led me to loose my yak when beaching at New Brighton with a decent shorebreak. I jumped out and went to grab the front handle to pull it out of the retreating surge and ZAP!! I had to grab the gaff and hook it thro' the front handle to drag it clear of the surge.
John, im sure youre just doing things right, but after 3 or 4 deployments without a shock, i might try and get zapped on my next outing. This way youll be sure that its working, and it will boost your confidence level......( and hopefully ill be watching on the beach, laughing my butt off

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I've interviewed a guy who compares an activated shark shield to a blaring car alarm - they can also attract sharkey's notice

Did he give any reason of why this would be???

A serious question deserves a serious answer. So first let me say I don't have an opinion either way. I've personally seen a Shark Shield deter a tiger. I've interviewed a white shark expert who was skeptical and wary of placing too much trust in a technological product. On that last I think he's got a point - witness the people who cross the gray line between prudent and reckless because they're carrying an EPIRB, PLB or radio.

Please keep in mind a general news story is not the place for a detailed scientific explanation, so I didn't delve any deeper than the easily-digested annecdote. Right Bill?

For your entertainment and consideration, my notes on the topic. Do not construe any of this as gospel. It is not fact-checked; I did not use any of it:

Shark shield? I liken it to a car alarm. It upsets a shark's circuitry like a car alarm upsets our ears. I’ve seen big sharks muscle through it and grab the bait.

Sharks are always 'listening' for electro magnetic fields. When a Shark Shield is left on, it's like a rock amplifier to a teenager. Only when they get too close does it become uncomfortable. I think when left on they potentially draw sharks, but then keep them at a perimeter. But battery life is not always very long. As battery power decreases that barrier is fading away as well.

When a Shield is turned on, it will spook a shark and make it bolt out of way. Most research I've seen was done on smaller sharks and not the ones involved in attacks. They may not stop a committed attack; probably nothing will. In 2001 a well known abalone diver was killed when he abandoned a clumsy motorized cage in favor of a belt-mounted shark chaser.

They are not foolproof, they are not fail-safe; They are an item to have in your tool case.

I made virtually no effort to check on the referenced attack. Consider it unreliable information.

Now, there's a chance I'll have a Shark Shield to play with sometime in the future. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to get more familiar with it. I doubt it'll change my habits. You still won't find me 'yak fishing the 'Lupe. Hawaii? I wouldn't go without. And coast-wise here in SoCal, I can't conceive its worth the trouble. Keep in mind, the last 100% assessment was right here in my back yard.   

Supposedly the presence of orcas means that resident GWS leave. This has been observed at the farallons in 1997 and I think 2000. ORCAs showed up, GWS left.

So seeing the ORCAs on the coast is good news as far as I am concerned.

John

i was gonna paint the orca pattern on the yak bottom...but that would have taken an atrist to complete......I like that thay are here, but would shat my FarmerJ's if seen.