Just wondering if anyone has or has used an electronic shark deterrent like Shark Sheild or Rpela etc? & how is it etc?:-)
The ones that reply here might say they work. The ones that got eaten can't reply here anymore 😉
Jokes aside, I think there is no evidence that these work, at least at the scale of human-wearable devices (manufacturers obviously want you to believe otherwise). It's probably also difficult to prove they don't work, so these can still be sold and I'm sceptical about these manufacterer's claims.
Can't answer your question as I'm not wearing these, so apologies for the spam. I'm sure someone will disagree with me. 🤣
No worries I know but I am interested in the ones made for surfers that attach to your board & use a lithium battery to create a electromagnetic field that you can feel etc:-)
Yup, depending on which query you put in Google, you'll either find resources that tell you it deters sharks, or others stating it will actually attract them (and put others at a heightened risk).
Anyway, you know my opinion now so honestly curious what others think as it's hard to find reliable info on these things.
Select to expand quoteptsf1111 said..
Yup, depending on which query you put in Google, you'll either find resources that tell you it deters sharks, or others stating it will actually attract them (and put others at a heightened risk).
Importantly, there are studies, but their results depend greatly on the shark species. Some sharks do not even use electric currents to hunt...
"The threshold for an electrical field to repel a shark can vary by species but ranges from about 3 V/m (to deter bull sharks) to 18.5 V/m (to deter scalloped hammerheads), with some species requiring even higher field strengths.
The key challenge, however, is to create an electric field that extends far enough into the surrounding water. Generating long-range electric fields in seawater is inherently difficult because seawater is highly conductive. The electric current disperses rapidly through the surrounding medium, causing a voltage gradient that drops sharply with distance."
spectrum.ieee.org/electric-shark-repellent
Or: " The effectiveness of the deterrents was variable, with the Freedom+ Surf affecting shark behaviour the most and reducing the percentage of bait taken from 96% (relative to the control board) to 40%. The mean distance of sharks to the board increased from 1.6 ± 0.1 m (control board) to 2.6 ± 0.1 m when the Freedom Surf+ was active. The other deterrents had limited or no measureable effect on white shark behavour. "
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6120439/
Also, beware of the studies that select specific species because they respond well to the electric devices... They are not wrong, but their results may apply differently to other species.
"The bonnethead shark, Sphyrna tiburo L. 1758, was selected as the study species due to ease of acquisition and husbandry coupled with their documented use of the electrosensory system when hunting "
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jfb.70220
