LEDS TO AVOID SHARK ATTACKS

If researchers in Australia are correct, the number of shark attacks may soon be dwindling.

The researchers played with the idea that Great White sharks are heavily reliant on their vision to determine whether they want to attack their prey or not.

So, the researchers took a decoy that looked like a seal or sea lion so that the shark would think it was the perfect prey. Then, they attached LEDs beneath the decoy. This disrupted how the shark perceived the decoy.

The study also found that Great White sharks aren’t dumb animals at all. According to Doctor Sarah Andreotti, a shark scientist at the University of Stellenbosch, humans are usually simply mistakenly eaten by sharks.

“That is the concept of people not being part of their diet. When they do bite humans, it is a mistake due to bad visibility or because there is other food in the water.

Although there is still a lot of research to be done to better understand this concept, those on surfboards or stand-up boards (SUPs) are welcome to try the concept of adding LEDs to the bottom of their boards.

The idea behind the study is to minimise the number of shark attacks as well as the number of sharks being killed.

In countries like Australia, South Africa and some French islands sharks are killed to reduce the number of shark attacks on humans.

Image credit: WPSD Local 6