Shark Shield

 Hey Gang,

 Just Fishing for opinions and information on Australia's Shark Shield,

 I hear from the makers:

  It only Targets Predatory Sharks through their special sensory

 organ on their snout that has a name I can't possibly pronounce or spell.

 2nd, it won't bother other game fish that you are trying to catch.

 

Word on the street Says:

 It attracts Sharks from far away and then repels them as they get close to you,

 ( Leaving any nearby KayakFishing Buddies @ risk,  Hmmmm Useful tourney Trick!!!! )
   
2nd,  It does bother and chase away Game fish

 Any thoughts or known facts?   Anybody... Bueller?   

 

Just my 2 cents:

I'm no shark expert but if a full grown, pissed off, unemployed and hungry GW is hell bent on getting a meal, I really don't think that ANYTHING will stop it from doing so....UNLESS you can find a way to bottle the piss of an Orca and spray it on your yak (I hear GW's fear the Orca more than anything else...besides human's with bang sticks)

Basically what I'm trying to say is that a full speed attack from a GW would leave little time for it to actually "sense"  the said "shark shield" It's like getting a train to stop on a dime.......me thinks

Again, this is just my opinion on the matter. It would be interesting to find out the truth of the matter.

Danglin...perhaps trolling your Hobbie at Ano Nuevo with a Shark Shield will reveal the answer  I'll follow you (with a camera) on Art G's 30 foot boat...while sipping a cold smirnoff ice...served with a Russian (female) model, wearing a bikini on roller skates Just give me the time and day and I'll be there for ya Oh...and remember to leave me the keys to your 4Runner

*The absolute best (and proven way) to avoid encounters with the GW is to: "Stay away from it's kitchen" - in other words, sell the kayak, buy a rocking chair and knit me a sweater...green is my favorite color and I wear an XL.

There was already another discussion thread about the shield. I think it was Bluewater Jon who used it in Hawaii to repel Tiger Sharks. IMO, tiger sharks are more aggressive then GWS, although they don't missile up from the bottom the way GWS do.

If I read the ad right it says that the upgraded battery only lasts 4 hours. I'm with Joel if you worry about it don't go.  If it draws sharks in and then repells them what about all your ex buddies. Maybe Myth Busters can give it a shot , I don't see how anything with a small battery can repel an animal that big. Did I tell you the story of the guy who bought Bear Repellant and used it like Mosquito Repellant.

My non-authoritative thoughts...

Sharks have those little receptors  in their nose (ampullae of Lorenzini) that pick up weak electrical fields from living organisms.  Only sharks and some shark relatives (such as sturgeon) have that capability as far as I know.  So I don't see how other gamefish species (aside from sturgeon) would be repelled by the electric fields put out by a Shark Shield.  In fact, if you've heard of "black box" technology, it is a technique where an electrical field is intenionally put out to attract gamefish.

Whether it actually draws sharks in for a closer look before repelling them... that's an interesting theory.  Does anyone have any evidence to back it up or is is all conjecture?

EK

Whether it actually draws sharks in for a closer look before repelling them... that's an interesting theory.  Does anyone have any evidence to back it up or is is all conjecture?

This conjecture was recited to me by great white tagging expert Sean Van Sommeran of the Pelagic Shark Research Institute. Others in this thread have already distilled his arguments, essentially: 1) potentially attract sharks from a distance; 2) not guaranteed to deter a shark in full feeding mode.

I've seen the shark shield in action (just once mind you) vs a large and aggressively curious tiger shark off Kona. The moment the switch was flipped the shark sank out and never reappeared. The way it is used by most kayakers (only turned on when a shark approaches) is not according to the manufacturer's directions. They call for it to be turned on all the time.   

I'm waiting for Sammons and PAL to dispel the myth.

-Allen

FWIW... here's what Shark Sheild says about the matter.

http://www.sharkshield.com/Content/FAQ/#faq02

I'm with Joel if you worry about it don't go.

 No, I don't sit up @ night worrying about Whitey,

 In fact, I never think about Him/Her when I'm out there.

 And Yes, De Nile is more than a River...

 I just happened to come across a Shark Shield @ a

good price and thought " What the Hell ",

Now , I'm hearing the stuff i mentioned earlier.

It won't deter a Fully determined predator, that's for sure, but I've seen video's of it chasing away

curious sharks, including the Landlord

It has a 7 hour run time, there is another one that runs 4 hours...

It would be difficult to just turn on the machine when you need it because of it's positioning of needing

the antenna fully emerged in the water and the knob that turns the thing on is a bit tricky too

perhaps trolling your Hobbie at Ano Nuevo with a Shark Shield will reveal the answer 

 Maybe... I've got a Hobie hull right now that I'm supposed to give back,

we could throw a bunch of dead fish and seal guts into it and get  Atlantia to tow it around the Farlons

with the  Shark Shield attached.  Love to give Hobie another Chewed up Yak

The Manufacturer does say to avoid these situations

Oh...and remember to leave me the keys to your 4Runner

 Just bought a " Honken Suburban  " 

Fir-runner is fir sale , get it before the stickers come off... .... Danglin

FWIW... here's what Shark Sheild says about the matter.

http://www.sharkshield.com/Content/FAQ/#faq02

Thanks  KZ

That pretty much answers it

http://www.cdnn.info/news/industry/i060115.html

There was already another discussion thread about the shield. I think it was Bluewater Jon who used it in Hawaii to repel Tiger Sharks. IMO, tiger sharks are more aggressive then GWS, although they don't missile up from the bottom the way GWS do.

Sure they can. Here is a quote from the story followed by the link to it.

Since I’d nearly become lunch for a 1,000-pound tiger shark 6 months earlier, we were especially alert for the largest of potential man-eaters. Usually, when we spot a large tiger, they keep their distance, often swimming obliquely toward us and then angling away, never getting closer than 30 feet. This particular 14-foot tiger acted differently. It decided it would rather eat me than admire my form. Swimming straight up from 100 feet, the great eater-of-men never wavered in its path directly toward me. When it opened its mouth 6 feet away, I fired. An hour later, the beast lay on the deck still snapping its jaws in defiance, my spear imbedded in its head between the eyes.

http://www.freedive.net/feature/pickering_record.htm

There was already another discussion thread about the shield. I think it was Bluewater Jon who used it in Hawaii to repel Tiger Sharks. IMO, tiger sharks are more aggressive then GWS, although they don't missile up from the bottom the way GWS do.

Sure they can. Here is a quote from the story followed by the link to it.

Since I’d nearly become lunch for a 1,000-pound tiger shark 6 months earlier, we were especially alert for the largest of potential man-eaters. Usually, when we spot a large tiger, they keep their distance, often swimming obliquely toward us and then angling away, never getting closer than 30 feet. This particular 14-foot tiger acted differently. It decided it would rather eat me than admire my form. Swimming straight up from 100 feet, the great eater-of-men never wavered in its path directly toward me. When it opened its mouth 6 feet away, I fired. An hour later, the beast lay on the deck still snapping its jaws in defiance, my spear imbedded in its head between the eyes.

http://www.freedive.net/feature/pickering_record.htm

As he mentioned, that kind of Tiger Shark attack isn't typical. Of course, once they get you, it doesn't really matter which direction they came from! The attacks I am familiar with all occurred in Hawaii. Many were in shallow water. I was in the water in one case, when my friend's brother got attacked near me and lost part of his hand. He saw the TS swimming toward him and put his hand out to protect his body. Another friend was a dive guide on Maui and saw one circling him with its back hunched in an aggressive posture. He got the hell out of the water fast. Aside from the genetic difference between species, my guess is that TS don't need to be stealthy like GWS because their prey is smaller and less dangerous.

I hate to even comment on such a hot topic, but personally I think GWS's did not get to be apex predators by being stupid.  I think they are much smarter than given credit for, and when faced with an unknown object aren't likely to rush in blindly.  Dans experience last summer seems to bear that out...  That was a test nibble, not a full on torpedo attack, yeah?