# Shark Shield



## Baldy

Gday all,

I know this subject has been done before but trends and opinions change and Im looking for what peoples thoughts are on them.

Be keen to hear from the likes of Billybob, Breambo, spooled, cuda1 ect ect ect...anyone who plays with noah food on a regular basis.

And of course those of you that own and use one allready, I know from speaking to Scott hes seen the effects they have on rays and gummys. So any first hand accounts of them working....or not...is what im after, not second hand reports from some anon on a forum somewhere.

One question I have is do they interfere with a sounder? I dont have one but if I were to install one it would be with the prowlers transducer scupper thingo, so would be in contact with the water.....if that makes any difference :?

The obvious nasty thing about them is the pricetag but when you start lining it up against the top end spin reels and even the good color sounders its all a matter of perspective I guess.

The way I see them at the moment is a bit like an EPIRB, we dont have the range of sharks down here but the problem is the ones Im likely to run into are the only ones that concern me....BIG whites and maybe a tiger, so for the most part it will be doing nothing[like an epirb] Its just there for that emergency that we all prepare for and hope will never happen. In the ebirb's case its a sinking yak or severe injury, in the shark shields case its an aggressive 5m+ white chewing on your rudder.

I wasnt sure if this was the right area for the thread, feel free to move it if its not.

Cheers
Baldy


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## L3GACY

I've seen first hand video footage of my TAFE lecturer testing one on white pointers (all around 3-4m) in feeding mode. If anything they hated it so much they just attacked it, that or they were curious. It may work 99% of the time but if a BIG white pointer is in feeding mode I don't think it is going to have any effect at all. This is exactly when I would want it to be doing it's job!

Don't get me wrong though, I'm still going to buy one at some stage (can't put a price on your life etc) but I think people need to know that it isn't necessarily always going to protect you.


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## ArWeTherYet

Its not the sharks I'm worried about....its these buggers.......do they make a killer whale shields??????

Sorry Baldy couldnt help myself. I've already expressed my views on them in other threads so I wont taint yours any more.


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## Baldy

Gday Paul,

So your saying I'll need to carry a small boy on board to befriend any orcas I come across!!.....crikey  :lol:

You dont have faith in them mate? Doesnt worry me, post away. Im not looking for sugar coated opinions, just honest.

Cheers
Baldy


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## Cuda

Yes, this is a subject with a few different viewpoints Baldy. I don't have a shark shield at present and I generally fish on my own, as there aren't many other yakers here in Geraldton. We do have some quite reasonable sized Tigers over here, although thankfully I haven't seen any out on the water yet, so I do feel a bit vulnerable at times 8) I am giving very serious thought to purchasing a shark shield for the Dirk Hartog Island trip that Hobie Vic has arranged for next May, as I know that there are some big bities up there, including Tigers, Bronzies, Hammerheads and the odd Great White :shock: I personally believe that they are too well fed however to get that stirred up that they will have a go at my Hobie Adventure, but my main concern is that I may end up with a shark jumping into the yak when I am pulling fish on board :shock: 
For that reason, I will be taking a shark shield with me for a bit more peace of mind 8). At least we will have safety in numbers on our side too and support tinnies as I am led to believe. I guess the whole issue boils down to our individual choices and whether we feel a bit too nervous out on the briny without some form of "insurance". As many people have alluded to previously, we have more chance of being killed by falling coconuts and other obscure forms of meeting our maker than being chomped by a shark, however where we are knowingly going into territory where we know big bities are lurking, the odds must start to even up somewhat :roll:
Look forward to seeing what others think


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## homemade

Baldy 
I'll follow this thread with intrest,the yak I.m building will get a fair bit of use in the East Gippsland area of Bass Straight in some fairly remote locations.Having fished the area for years landbased I also have some concerns for bitie things.Seeing a roo taken and also having a shark practicaly beach itself at our feet aparently attracted by pilly bait cast offs(had a similar thing happen at Bass Point NSW)I am more than a bit wary.I must say though Ive never been bothered by any thing in our boat.being in a yak seems a little vulnerable lets see where your thread goes.
Cheers


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## bazzoo

If the shark shield were cheaper , i would definately have one , i know the sayings about how much is your life worth , and when you have to use it and it saves you , its cheap , but the fact remains , they have a captive market and there very expensive. I have been unfortunate enough to have been in a power boat on two occasions at South West Rocks , when a shark of hugh proportions was definately interested in the contents of our 18 ft boat , and circled the boat menacingly , not a nice experiance , translate that into a kayak , and it would be a moment of sheer terror, so i too am going to watch this segment [ once again] with interest, however whilst the shark shields are as expensive as they are , i can see no forceable change for me .


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## fishydude

I know a few folks with shark shields and none of them have been eaten. Of course I don't own one (yet) and I haven't been eaten either. As far as I know they do work for most situations and that is fine. However(don't you just hate that word) if it's really hungry and you look good it will probably hit you hard. At 20-30km/h this huge tonnage of crittur is not going to stop even if it does want to ...lol. The best thing you can do is not wash your wetsuit and wear really mankie underdurps. This would definitely stop me putting food in my mouth. I will get one eventually, like L3GACY. It's insurance. One thing I cannot figure out is if it attracts sharks to the region out of curiousity. Keeps them at bay when it becomes uncomfortable but not sure about your buddies. Totally without info on this. Just another possiblilty to me.
Cheers
Mike


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## yaker

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## FoolInjected

Baldy said:


> Gday Paul,
> 
> So your saying I'll need to carry a small boy on board to befriend any orcas I come across!!.....crikey  :lol:
> 
> You dont have faith in them mate? Doesnt worry me, post away. Im not looking for sugar coated opinions, just honest.
> 
> Cheers
> Baldy


 A pet croc would be better









Also good if while yakking you happen to come across buffalo, deer, tigers, hippopotamus, hyena .......

To me shark shields are like religion. If it makes you feel better go ahead, knock yourself out. It's not hurting nobody


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## Big D

I've heard it said that the shields won't work against sharks in a feeding frenzie. My concern is more of a massive shark 1 metre or more longer than my yak rising slowly next to me, look me in the eye, decide my yak would be interesting to taste, nudge or bite it a little bit, send me hurling into the drink, I think the terror would be more likely to kill me than the shark! And there have been heaps of incidents of GWs nudging/chewing on props of stinkies, and I think the only reason it hasn't happened to a yakker in Metro Adelaide is because there are many less than the boats. It's like they say, if a shark's gonna attack you wont know about it until it's too late. If that happens, well I probably won't know much about it. Its the one that doesn't necessarily want to attack, just scare the crap out of me that I fear. That's why I reckon a SS would be good, so you would hopefully never see one.

I said to L3Gacy the other day, one sighting of a massive shark for me in the yak and it'll be time to hang up the paddle I reckon (well for open salt water at least) and that's before I've even embarked on my maiden voyage!

Tight lines and sharkless days to you all.

Big D

P.s. how much do you think a light gray Hobie Quest with the little flippers, oops I mean paddles, splashing on the sides would look like a seal, injured dolphin, baby whale etc!!!!


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## L3GACY

Big D said:


> P.s. how much do you think a light gray Hobie Quest with the little flippers, oops I mean paddles, splashing on the sides would look like a seal, injured dolphin, baby whale etc!!!!


I forgot to mention something, "apparently" thanks to the colour of the yak you're invisible at dawn too so take a lantern/torch. Just thought you might like to know :lol:.


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## Scouse

> So any first hand accounts of them working....or not...is what im after, not second hand reports from some anon on a forum somewhere.


My mates sisters boyfriend, dads mates girlfriends brothers mate met this guy in a pub said they where great!!!!!!!

Ian


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## Big D

L3GACY said:


> Big D said:
> 
> 
> 
> P.s. how much do you think a light gray Hobie Quest with the little flippers, oops I mean paddles, splashing on the sides would look like a seal, injured dolphin, baby whale etc!!!!
> 
> 
> 
> I forgot to mention something, "apparently" thanks to the colour of the yak you're invisible at dawn too so take a lantern/torch. Just thought you might like to know :lol:.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up! I'll have to always remember to fish at dawn with someone with a bright orange yak! I'm also thinking I'll always need to go fishing with someone with a mirage drive, that must look even more like a helpless marine mammal in trouble!!!


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## JT

Kraley caught a shark (one of several) of the back of the cat up in the whitsundays. As Red was bravely removing the lure (it was huge :shock: about 85 centimeters long...the shark that is) I ran downstairs into the cabin to grab my shark shield. Yes...an experiment was at hand. I turned on the shark shield and not a lot happened until the tail with the antennas in it was within half a meter of the hooked beast....and then it went ballistic! 8) I don't however think that this was a realistic recreation as Red had been standing on the shark (literally) trying to unhook it and it would have had huge amounts of adrenalin pumping through it which one would assume grossly lowered its responsiveness. It lost an eye in the process and Red reckoned I was the bad guy for electrocuting the poor thing 8)

Personally I am convinced that they work but wouldn't be banking on it if a GW charged you from beneath. You could have a limpet mine on the end of your downrigger and it still wouldn't be stopped.

JT


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## Bear

I,m a boat builder for a living and before working for my current employer Riviera I was at a company called Edencraft where we where built mainly comercial 2c charter trailerboats for pro abalone divers in Victoria and Tasmania. Through this association I got to know a heap of pro divers and when I was researching the pro's and cons of investing over 600 dollars in a shark shield I thought I would give a couple a call to see what they thought. Of the 3 divers I spoke with 1 said sharks don't bother him so never used one and the other 2 said they both had one and wouldn't dive for abalone without one. Both had said that they had seen sharks come towards them with pectorials down but the shark shield kept them well away and after one or two passes the obvious discomert drove them off. This was enough to make my mind up. On the day I bought mine a marine biologist who works for Grifith University and dives a lot was in the shop buying one at the same time and he said that he had seen them on other professional divers and Marine biologists and they where a good thing, the Australian Army is also using them for the SAS divers out of Swanbourne WA after extensive trials. For me its a no brainer, with more and more kayakers fishing offshore it is only a matter of time until someone has a very unfortunate meeting with a big shark and anything I can do to make sure Im not the one is a good thing. As for my mates who give me shit about it I say when where fishing offshore and a big shark shows up I wonder how long it will take them to paddle over and raft up next to my boat :lol:


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## DGax65

Bear said:


> For me its a no brainer, with more and more kayakers fishing offshore it is only a matter of time until someone has a very unfortunate meeting with a big shark and anything I can do to make sure Im not the one is a good thing.


Only a matter of time.....last weekend actually  
http://beach.freedomblogging.com/2008/06/23/shark-attacks-woman-on-kayak-at-catalina-knocks-her-off/
more
http://cbs2.com/video/[email protected]

I've heard a lot of people say that a Shark Shield wouldn't stop a GWS that is charging up from below. This might be debatable. I've seen video from SA and the Farallon Islands that shows these sharks making very rapid turns away from the decoys at the last instant. Evidently, after repeated hits on the decoys, the sharks become somewhat more selective. In one video clip a shark made what looked like a ninety degree turn at the last moment to avoid the decoy. I would think that the Shark Shield might give them enough warning to cause them to veer off. I'm not saying it would provide absolute protection; just a greater level of safety. Sharks are unpredictable and very capable of inflicting lethal damage with an investigative bite, so no guarantees as long as you play in the water.


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## JT

Bear said:


> I,m a boat builder for a living and before working for my current employer Riviera I was at a company called Edencraft where we where built mainly comercial 2c charter trailerboats for pro abalone divers in Victoria and Tasmania. Through this association I got to know a heap of pro divers and when I was researching the pro's and cons of investing over 600 dollars in a shark shield I thought I would give a couple a call to see what they thought. Of the 3 divers I spoke with 1 said sharks don't bother him so never used one and the other 2 said they both had one and wouldn't dive for abalone without one. Both had said that they had seen sharks come towards them with pectorials down but the shark shield kept them well away and after one or two passes the obvious discomert drove them off. This was enough to make my mind up. On the day I bought mine a marine biologist who works for Grifith University and dives a lot was in the shop buying one at the same time and he said that he had seen them on other professional divers and Marine biologists and they where a good thing, the Australian Army is also using them for the SAS divers out of Swanbourne WA after extensive trials. For me its a no brainer, with more and more kayakers fishing offshore it is only a matter of time until someone has a very unfortunate meeting with a big shark and anything I can do to make sure Im not the one is a good thing. As for my mates who give me shit about it I say when where fishing offshore and a big shark shows up I wonder how long it will take them to paddle over and raft up next to my boat :lol:


Very interesting to hear Bear (hey that rhymes!). Mine makes me feel a lot more comfortable and I have seen rays below the yak disappear in a puff of sand quick smart when I go over the top of them. If a shark shows up I will be renting out the water immediately around my yak to the disbelievers. I expect it to be a short but highly profitable auction. 

JT


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## petanquedon

From a risk management point of view.

How many people each year.

Are taken by sharks?

Drown?

Are struck by lightning?

Are killed in car accidents?

Die from tobacco related health problems?

Die from alcohol related health problems?

Die of obesity related diseases?

Are killed at Port Arthur?

The theory behind the devise is sound but like any safety equipment it can't guarantee 100% protection.

Exactly the same as wearing a seat belt will not guarantee you will survive a severe car accident.

Probably the only way to be certain that you won't be taken by a shark however small the chance is to take the $600.00 and sell all your fishing gear, kayak and other related equipment.

Then invest the money, this should provide some income that you can then go to the shop and purchase the fish of your choice (no stinky fish guts as well).

However be careful you may slip and have a fall in the shop and hurt yourself.

Do they scare fish as well?


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## JT

Do they scare fish as well?[/quote]

No.

JT


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## onemorecast

petanquedon said:


> From a risk management point of view.
> 
> How many people each year.
> 
> Are taken by sharks?


I can't say that whether shark shields work or not but if something large with teeth is around me, I think I may be paying JT's inflated rates for a few square metres of water next to his tub 8)

But I don't disagree about the risk management approach. But rather than saying how many people are taken by sharks each year? I think you have to consider how many sharks attack people who are engaging in activities where sharks are known to be and the activities include putting blood or food in the water where the sharks are feeding? - The likihood of attachk may still be low, but it's the consequence that keeps me alert ;-)


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## hawk

Hi there . Could somebody let me no where you can purchase shark shields and how much you could expect to pay for one thankyou . Tightlines Hawk


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## Buff

Shark Shield On-line Store for pricing and purchases or find a dealer ;-) 
http://www.sharkshield.com/Content/Products/


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## ELM

Curious, Have they been tested on Salt Water Crocs?
What was the out come?
Something else to google, its going to be a long night.
OOOps sorry dont wish to steel your thread might start anouther one after a google?


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## Flump

Sounds like this could be a great experiment for those South African guys that did the doco on the GWS flying out of the water from depth and attacking that fake seal. Attach a shield to the seal and do some underwater photography, we'll all know one way or another then :lol: :twisted: :shock:


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## L3GACY

ELM said:


> Curious, Have they been tested on Salt Water Crocs?
> What was the out come?
> Something else to google, its going to be a long night.
> OOOps sorry dont wish to steel your thread might start anouther one after a google?


Unless crocs have an Ampullae of Lorenzini it wont have any effect.


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## ELM

L3GACY said:


> ELM said:
> 
> 
> 
> Curious, Have they been tested on Salt Water Crocs?
> What was the out come?
> Something else to google, its going to be a long night.
> OOOps sorry dont wish to steel your thread might start anouther one after a google?
> 
> 
> 
> Unless crocs have an Ampullae of Lorenzini it wont have any effect.
Click to expand...

I did not know of this Ampullae of Lorenzini, curious i did a google came up with a little. There was a quote from Rod Hartley, Executive Chairman of Seachange Technology.


> HARTLEY : Yes, not a lot of people know that! And only sharks and members of the shark, skates and ray family, but it barely impacts on rays because they don't have very sensitive receptors whereas with sharks--the larger the shark and the more successful they are as a carnivore, the more sensitive the receptors are so our product works best of all on the largest of sharks, the Great White. The Queensland Police have done some work very recently on testing Shark Shield against crocodiles and the reason they've done that is that crocodiles do appear to have some form of receptors - they're probably not exactly the same as the Ampullae of Lorenzini, but they've certainly had some great initial success, but it needs now scientific test of the type that I described earlier in this program before we can confidently say Shark Shield will protect people against crocodiles as well, but it's an interesting possibility. I wouldn't put it any higher than that.


Regards
Eddie


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## L3GACY

It would be awesome if it repelled crocs. There are some places in NT and WA that I would LOVE to fish from a yak. I wouldn't get my hopes up though.


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## Alby

Haven't looked at this forum for a while, wish I'd picked up this thread earlier. Up until now I've been the only kayaker I know who has a sharkshield.
I bought mine to go off shore northern NSW coast June - Sep. I'm convinced, but have never been conscious of mine being put to the test. I'm convinced enough that I don't feel any nervousness when out wide...up to 8klm, and that feels great.
The way I see it $600 to save my life is a small investment. The one thing that I always do is "use it" when I go offshore ...anywhere. I don't use it in rivers, Bribie Passage. I ran mine flat the other day whilst still out on the water. It beeps for a couple of minutes, then shuts down. It lasted the 7 hrs specified though, so all was good.
I have a zoologist friend who knew all about the function of the shark's nose tip sensors (Ampulae of Lorenzine'). These are the organs that are oversensitized (or zapped) by the sharkshield electronic field.

The other thing I might say is that Sharkshield are a great company to deal with. They've given me prompt advice on any query whatsoever.

I have a Freedom 7 and I just feed it down a scupper hole behind the seat in my Hobie Adventure. I shove my trolley down the back under the shock cord.
There's a green light that displays only when both electrodes (one each end of the cable tail) are submersed in sea water. The other way you can check to see if it's working is to run your hand down the cable. You'll soon know! :shock: :shock: 
That's how I had to check on my old kayak cos the whole unit had to be mounted under the hull. It used to make me jump also when I'd be landing in the old kayak. I'd jump out in the shallows, and the cable would wash up against my feet / legs. People thought I was dancing cos I'd caught a lot of fish! :lol: 
The hobie's much better cos I can turn it off, and store it before beaching. I guess the other thing that people may be interested in is how much drag does the cable have on your kayak. The tail (cable) is about 2m long and about 20mm thick. It does create a an amount of drag, but not to such an extent that it's a problem. 
My advice......If you fish out in the open ocean.......by one...and use it.
Cheers
Alby


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## yutryn

have these just gone up in price ???
on the shark shield website they are $795 but everyone is saying $600


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## L3GACY

yutryn said:


> have these just gone up in price ???
> on the shark shield website they are $795 but everyone is saying $600


I believe that the latest model (Freedom 7) did incur a price rise (over the previous model) when it was released. I can't answer why but I would assume it would be because of updated electronics or the longer life battery pack. The latest RRP is $765. If you check the commercial section on the forum one of the members (Kirk) will do an AKFF deal including postage which is well below retail.


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