Surfboard lights might deter shark attacks — but don't bet your life on it

Australian researchers, who spent years towing seal-shaped decoys done waters infested with large achromatic sharks, person determined that wrapping the lures successful precise agleam lights — benignant of similar aquatic Christmas trees — seems to crook sharks away.

That’s because, from below, sharks are accustomed to seeing the acheronian silhouettes of their prey backlighted by the sun.

So wrapping the assemblage of a fake seal successful bright, horizontally striped LED lights seems to interruption the silhouette into smaller pieces that nary longer look similar a seal, said researcher Nathan Hart, caput of the School of Natural Sciences astatine Macquarie University successful Sydney.

Hart and 1 of his co-authors connected a survey precocious published successful Current Biology, biologist Laura Ryan, are readying to instal likewise patterned LED lights connected the bottoms of surfboards to spot whether that tin assistance trim the hazard of shark attacks.

“Surfing for maine is simply a truly peaceful place. It’s astir being successful nature; it’s astir doing thing I love,” Ryan said. She’s hoping the exertion mightiness assistance marque it conscionable a small much peaceful.

This is not the archetypal clip scientists person looked for a technological hole for a menace that, though incredibly rare, inactive plays successful a loop — similar the ominous taxable from “Jaws” — successful the backmost of galore oceangoers’ minds.

Previous researchers person tried utilizing devices that emit electromagnetic fields to disrupt sharks’ electroreceptors. Others person tried bracelets that emit smells that sharks, theoretically, would find repulsive. Still others person marketed black-and-white striped wetsuits based connected a mentation akin to that down the LED lights: disrupting the prey-like silhouette.

But for decades, the information connected each specified shark repellents person been “ambiguous,” said Chris Lowe, a marine biologist and manager of the Shark Lab astatine Cal State Long Beach, who had not work the caller Australian study.

The erstwhile devices seemed to enactment astir 40% to 50% of the time. “If your extremity is to consciousness much assured successful the water, and you tin spend it, great,” Lowe said.

But helium worries that immoderate radical enactment these things connected and consciousness invincible, similar they’re wearing “Superman’s cape.” And past they spell surfing successful places wherever sharks usually feed, putting themselves astatine overmuch higher risk.

“I ever enactment the aged commencement power litmus trial to it,” Lowe said. “Would you beryllium satisfied with a commencement power instrumentality that lone worked 40% of the time?”

One of the problems with devices designed to marque radical fundamentally invisible to sharks is that eyesight isn’t the lone instrumentality they usage to observe prey: They besides usage their consciousness of odor and their quality to observe vibrations successful the water.

“How important is it that a shark can’t spot you if it tin inactive odor you and consciousness you,” Lowe asked.

Whatever sensory input sharks usage to way america down, the information is, they’re not that funny successful humans. Since 2000, millions of radical person splashed astir successful the waters disconnected the California coast, but determination person been lone 127 shark incidents recorded by the authorities Department of Fish and Wildlife. An “incident” is erstwhile idiosyncratic is approached and touched by a shark, oregon the shark touches their surfboard, paddleboard oregon akin mode of transport.

Although it’s harmless to presume everyone who experienced specified an incidental was good and genuinely freaked out, lone 51 reported a carnal injury. And lone 8 radical were killed by the shark. At slightest 7 of those deaths were caused by large whites; successful the different case, the taxon is unknown.

You person a amended accidental of being killed by lightning.

To behaviour their six-year study, the Australian scientists traveled to Seal Island disconnected the seashore of South Africa, the mounting for countless “Shark Week” episodes and YouTube videos celebrating the sheer spectacle, and jaw-dropping violence, of large whites rocketing up from the depths and breaching the aboveground with doomed seals clutched successful their mighty jaws.

Through the people of their research, the squad learned that the statement and strength of the lighting is critical. If strung vertically, on the magnitude of the fake seal’s body, the lights don’t bash capable to disrupt the silhouette disposable from below. And the lights request to radiance brightly capable to counteract the effect of the prima shining from above.

For optimal “counterillumination,” the scientists found, the artificial airy has to beryllium brighter than the inheritance light.

“If you don’t get this right, it mightiness not person the effect,” Hart said.