with well over 800 shark attacks over the last two hundred years or so in Australia alone, there is little reason why divers and surfers shouldn’t be worried. however, a new type of camouflage wetsuit jointly developed by Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS) and Ocean Institute at University of Western Australia, dubbed the SAMS Shark Deterrent Wetsuits might help in reducing the odds of you being snack on the next time in take a dip into the open water. do not be mistaken; these wetsuits aren’t some shark bite-proof armor or whatsoever. they are basically camouflage pattern derived from the result of the studies by Ocean Institute based on shark’s vision (they are color blind, apparently).
as of now, there are two types of pattern: the “Elude” for divers and swimmers, and the “Diverter” designed with surfers in mind. the former sports disruptive pattern along with colors that blend with the ocean, thereby rendering the wearer invisible to the shark, while the latter goes the opposite way with bold pattern and colors as a warning to predators, in this case the sharks, that they (the wearer) might be venomous. despite the fact that sharks are capable of detecting prey over a long distances by smell and weak electrical signal, they still depends on vision in their final stage of attack and therefore, by disrupting the sharks visual perception, an attack could be averted or at least buys the wearer sometime for evasive action.
now, that’s what i call personal safety. it may not be 100 percent foolproof, but any help that can minimize the odds are always welcome by anyone. besides, with the patterned suit, you’d be rocking a pretty cool outfit the next time you hit the water. the SAMS Shark Deterrent Wetsuits are available for pre-order through Radiator Wetsuits from AU$429 (about US$395) with shipment expect to be in October.
SAMS via CNET Australia
