# Shark shields?



## smilne

Was thinking of getting a shark shield for my yak. However, the very recent tests done on them in South Australia are not very encouraging. The sharks took twice as long to take the bait but there was no difference in the number of baits taken when a shark shield was affixed 150cm away. If I was on my yak, not sure an extra couple of minutes would really make all that difference if I get eaten in the end anyway... Any thoughts?


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## burnsie8495

Where abouts are you fishing ?
Sharks are regular sights in this sport and sooner or later were all going to see one at least. 
The shark shields have proven effective, bit like an intense irration for the shark.
When looking at the statics though ,with the millions of people australia wide using our waters for all sorts of things, attacks are extremely rare, with something like 4 attacks in the last 20-30 years with only one fatality.
Its a piece of mind thing and many people opt for it. Which is the reason ive been looking into them as well.
Plenty of testimonials on the forum heres one for an example... 
http://www.kfdu.com.au/forum/viewtopic. ... ld#p163032


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## Tiberium

What puts me off it is the price. :shock: $700 :shock:


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## burnsie8495

Thats another big factor, they arent the cheapest things going, and would much prefer to spend it on new fishing gear 
It realy depends how comfortable you are with your yak and the areas your fishing, most the time it'll be offshore you'll find them and there many ways of minimising your chances like dont bleed or leave bleed fishing hanging in the water (learnt this hard way on lake macquarie), but most the time they will only come for a look and if they get a bit to close for comfort, paddles at the ready.
It comes down to whether or not you can justify the money, but when in perspective how much is a life worth and an even better question, how much would you lay down to wet your lined


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## GlenelgKiller

burnsie8495 said:


> When looking at the statics though ,with the millions of people australia wide using our waters for all sorts of things, attacks are extremely rare, with something like 4 attacks in the last 20-30 years with only one fatality.


Not sure where you get your statistics from mate but they are off the mark. I can recall 5 fatals and 1 non-fatal in WA over the last 2 years plus 2 fatals in metro SA in quick succession around 12 years back. Also 2 attacks on yaks, 1 in SA and 1 in WA over the last year, both non-fatal. Part of the risk of water sports and im certainly not suggesting everyone should have a Shark Shield, i didnt for quite a while, but it certainly can happen.


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## GlenelgKiller

smilne said:


> However, the very recent tests done on them in South Australia are not very encouraging.


Do you have more info on these tests as i havent heard anything?


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## burnsie8495

This is one report noting the results
http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/201 ... 529306.htm


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## badmotorfinger

I think the most important part of the test was that the sharks aborted 100% of their extremely aggressive charges on trolled drones (think 5m GW leaping out of water with seal in mouth). It is this sort of attack which will put you in the water with the shark post initial hit and something that has happened to kayakers previously. Thankfully the sharks seemed to have been somewhat bemused after intitial strike and have left now swimming kayakers alone.

The fact that they still took a bait is important, but they were still clearly put off somewhat by the sharkshield. I am not planning on towing 1/2 a tuna around behind my kayak, and even if I did, I figure the shark will circle for twice as long giving me time to prepare or take measures to scare the shark off.


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## solatree

The Shark Shield for me is a bit of piece of mind - some extra insurance. It does not really matter how effective it actually is - as long as it helps me feel safer out there when I'm fishing in waters and at times when shark risk is higher. And it does. That way, I can focus on enjoying my fishing.


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## burnsie8495

as for the statics i was leading to those in regards to kayakers more then swimmer/surfers.

well from the study itll give you another 2 minutes to prepare, enough time to get a flare out, just in case


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## smilne

I dont think it means that the shield are necessarily useless - but I did find the results of the testing a little disappointing. Makes it harder to justify the cost when their efficacy in actually preventing an attack is so unclear.


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## kayakone

burnsie8495 said:


> Where abouts are you fishing ?
> Sharks are regular sights in this sport and sooner or later were all going to see one at least.
> The shark shields have proven effective, bit like an intense irration for the shark.
> When looking at the statics though ,with the millions of people australia wide using our waters for all sorts of things, attacks are extremely rare, with something like 4 attacks in the last 20-30 years with only one fatality.
> Its a piece of mind thing and many people opt for it. Which is the reason ive been looking into them as well.
> Plenty of testimonials on the forum heres one for an example...
> http://www.kfdu.com.au/forum/viewtopic. ... ld#p163032


"4 attacks in the last 20-30 years with only one fatality" Not quite. One a year on average (deaths). 5 deaths in WA in the past 11 months.

Anything you can do to reduce the risk has got to be worth it.

trev

trev


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## Tiberium

kayakone said:


> burnsie8495 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Where abouts are you fishing ?
> Sharks are regular sights in this sport and sooner or later were all going to see one at least.
> The shark shields have proven effective, bit like an intense irration for the shark.
> When looking at the statics though ,with the millions of people australia wide using our waters for all sorts of things, attacks are extremely rare, with something like 4 attacks in the last 20-30 years with only one fatality.
> Its a piece of mind thing and many people opt for it. Which is the reason ive been looking into them as well.
> Plenty of testimonials on the forum heres one for an example...
> http://www.kfdu.com.au/forum/viewtopic. ... ld#p163032
> 
> 
> 
> "4 attacks in the last 20-30 years with only one fatality" Not quite. One a year on average (deaths). 5 deaths in WA in the past 11 months.
> 
> Anyting you can do to reduce the risk has got to be worth it.
> 
> trev
> 
> trev
Click to expand...

Your right Ill give them a leg so I don't lose an arm. :lol:


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## GlenelgKiller

solatree said:


> The Shark Shield for me is a bit of piece of mind - some extra insurance. It does not really matter how effective it actually is - as long as it helps me feel safer out there when I'm fishing in waters and at times when shark risk is higher. And it does. That way, I can focus on enjoying my fishing.


Im with you Andy! Im just so much more comfortable knowing they are scientifically proven. Whats report is that? Im not listening.....


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## Squidley

I guess it's sobering to hear they don't eliminate the risk but reduce it. I do think a kayak has more in common with a seal lure skipping over the surface than half a tuna sitting in the water, and the seal decoy wasn't attacked in their tests with the SS switched on.


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## emufingers

GlenelgKiller said:


> smilne said:
> 
> 
> 
> However, the very recent tests done on them in South Australia are not very encouraging.
> 
> 
> 
> Do you have more info on these tests as i havent heard anything?
Click to expand...

See attachement


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## Squidley

Oh, two on the seal decoy


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## burnsie8495

seal decoy would look a bit like a yak :/
Lucky there isnt many yellow seals swimming round


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## solatree

burnsie8495 said:


> seal decoy would look a bit like a yak :/
> Lucky there isnt many yellow seals swimming round


That's because they are now extinct - see http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php ... +dangerous (but do read the whole thread ;-) )


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## Scott

Hi Smilne most serious offshore anglers use them.


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## paulthetaffy

With regards to the $700 price tag... on the day that a 3m GWS knocks you in the water and circles back towards you, if your thoughts are "glad I spent that $700 on a new jigging outfit" then you were right not to buy one. On the other hand if you're like me and you think to yourself "f*** knows if it's going to work but I'm sure glad I spent that $700 on a SS" then you should probably buy one. Of course if you did buy one then you may not have ended up in the water in the first place 

I'm lucky enough not to have seen a GWS or any large shark yet (knocking on wood!). However the one and only time I did see some small 1.5-2m bull sharks in the harbour, and ended up accidentally catching one that day too, was the one day that I didn't have my SS with me as it was in for repair.


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## burnsie8495

solatree said:


> burnsie8495 said:
> 
> 
> 
> seal decoy would look a bit like a yak :/
> Lucky there isnt many yellow seals swimming round
> 
> 
> 
> That's because they are now extinct - see viewtopic.php?f=9&t=31711&hilit=+dangerous (but do read the whole thread ;-) )
Click to expand...

That throws a spanner in the work :lol: 
Then again you've got more of a chance of getting mown down by a boat than you would seeing a shark,little own getting attacked.
And if they do come after you throw some baits in the opposite direction and plane out of there 
Ive got a yellow yak and pfd, and although ive knocked and looked over a few times (only schoolies), im much happier knowing i can be see.
But if your serious about heading offshore, escecially if your looking of using big baits or catching bigger fish, your chances of a meeting are higher, if it brings you piece of mind and you can fork out the cash you may as well, be handy for early morning/late afternoon surf especially if your out alone


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## MrX

Here are the boring stats about shark attacks from the scientists:
http://sharkattackfile.info/shark-attack-search-simple-1/shark-attack-file-activity-search.asp

If you type "kayak" into the search engine, 33 of the 5,225 plus shark "attack" records worldwide come up. (Karnage has dropped to No14.)

Of those kayak incidents, there was rarely an injury.

To date, there are only 2 reports of fatal shark attacks on a kayaker, wordwide, ever.


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## paulb

It might depend how comfortable you feel, if an enquisitive shark visits. Below are links from the incident at Long Reef, where a few of the regulars on this forum were 'paid a visit'.

When something of that size is enquisitive and remains enquisitive you may want a way of making yourself less interesting....

What the video doesn't show is when the kayakers tried to leave the shelter of the boat as they thought the shark was more interested in the boats prop, then them - said Shark went off after them and continued to 'nudge'. It was only when the commercial boat intervened and spooked the shark, did it disappear.










Also should point out a similar sized shark was spotted by kayakers almost on the same day, one year later.


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## keza

I think the test results are pretty positive for the shield. But it looks like if you have a bad cut and you smell like fish, then your number may be up anyway.

I'm reasonably comfortable with sharks around Sydney and quite like seeing them, I have been bumped and hit pretty hard on one occasion but I feel ok without one, so I haven't bought one. If someone gave me one I would use it, not all the time, but I would use it.
I usually borrow Simon's when I go up to South West Rocks but have fished there without one also.
I think they are extra insurance and if you are at all worried, then having one is a good idea.


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## kayakone

Tiberium said:


> What puts me off it is the price. :shock: $700 :shock:


Stealthdes has them for $500. Bargain.

trev


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## avayak

kayakone said:


> Tiberium said:
> 
> 
> 
> What puts me off it is the price. :shock: $700 :shock:
> 
> 
> 
> Stealthdes has them for $500. Bargain.
> 
> trev
Click to expand...

Trev that's a bargain, not even the price of a good jigging combo.
I'd rather pay for a SS to insure me than pay insurance for a car.


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## smilne

That's a good point Squidley. I agree...a kayak is more like the seal decoy where the reports are much more encouraging than for the tuna baits. Sharks are generally hesitant, to say the least, attacking kayaks relative to grabbing a succulent piece of tuna...otherwise there would be far more attacks. Perhaps a little more discouragement is all that is needed. The report does refer to one shark that, contrary to the norm, was four times more likely to attack when the shield was used than when it was not....hope he (or she) stays in South Australia...


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## burnsie8495

smilne said:


> The report does refer to one shark that, contrary to the norm, was four times more likely to attack when the shield was used than when it was not....hope he (or she) stays in South Australia...


Theres always that one that has to make things difficult :lol:


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## burnsie8495

For those with kayaks in "yum, yum yellow" here a little piece of mind.
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=57100&p=593646#p593646


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## burnsie8495

Yea i knew i was off, but i was also leading to the number of attaks on kayaks?
The number, thought i dont know exactly, was quite low with around 17 worldwide.


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## Daveyak

Tiberium said:


> What puts me off it is the price. :shock: $700 :shock:


I thought that for a while & then realised that I would easily spend that amount for my other hobby of motorcycling by buying a helmet or other protective gear. And just as I came to that opinion, a shark shield (only used twice) was advertised for sale locally for $400! Instantly snapped up & now some peace of mind while fishing as the ocean in my area is considered GWS habitat.

It works well too as since using it I haven't even seen a shark :-D .

(Never mind that I'd never seen one in the 6 years kayak fishing prior to getting the s/s either. :roll: )

Peace of mind for me and family/friends.


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## SharkShield

Hi Guys,

I saw some of your comments regarding the Safe Work SA report pop up in my google alerts, so I thought I would pass on a few comment on the report.

With regards to the study and report through Safe Work SA, these tests were conducted in a very extreme environment that is not necessarily very realistic. First of all, the water was chummed and the tests were conducted in an area where shark cage diving is conducted. Researchers have demonstrated that cage diving does change shark behaviour and they react more strongly to chummed water.

In the testing with seal decoys, the decoys were towed behind a boat at 8-10km/h with the Shark Shield suspended 2m from the decoy. In that test, there were NO surface breaches with the Shark Shield on versus 16 when the Shark Shield was off. Surface interactions were also dramatically reduced, from 43 when off to 18 when on.

In the second series of tests, a 6kg piece of tuna was again suspended 2m away from the Shark Shield unit, instead of at the centre of the antenna which is where the strongest field is present. When the Shark Shield was on, the length of time doubled for the shark to take the bait, from 122 seconds to 244 seconds.

Thirdly, the purpose of a Shark Shield is to safely get to shore or a boat in the event of a shark sighting&#8230;..not to swim with sharks or burley up the water and expect to not get attacked. This study demonstrated that a Shark Shield does just that....the average time to take the tuna increased, there were no breaches in the seal tow when the unit and the surface interactions were dramatically reduced.

Interestingly enough, I just came across a story from several years ago about a kayak fisherman in Hawaii who believes he and his wife were saved by a Shark Shield from a tiger shark. Here's his story: http://www.bluewaterjon.com/story/story4.html Apparently Univision in the US is doing a new story on the for TV.

Let me know if you have any more Shark Shield questions I can answer.

Kind regards,
Amanda Wilson
Managing Director - Shark Shield


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## GlenelgKiller

Hi Amanda. Im unclear on the difference between a breach and a surface interaction. Can you clear that up for me?


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## SharkShield

Hi Sean,

According to the report, a breach is when the shark actually jumps from the water, which is what it does in order to attack it's prey....so in the study, when the Shark Shield was ON, there were ZERO breaches (attacks).

A surface interaction is when the fin was visible from the water, which indicates interest, but there was no "attack" per se.

I actually just re-read the study and the numbers are much better for the surface interactions than I said in my last comment.....27 surface interactions with it OFF and only 2 with it ON. The number I quote yesterday was the number of TOTAL interactions, which means being sighted with a camera underwater, not not actually approaching the surface where the seal decoy was located.

So, what I take from the report is, if you don't chum up the water and hang dead tuna baits off your kayak, Shark Shield works pretty dang well! 

Hope that clarifies things for you.

Cheers
Amanda


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## Daveyak

Thanks Amanda, for coming on here to explain about those matters. As a user of your product, it gives me even greater confidence in getting out on the water when relying on the device to keep sharks away from me.


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## mackayaker

Do they work on crocs! :shock:


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## keza

mackayaker said:


> Do they work on crocs! :shock:


No and electric eels are attracted to them.


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## Samboman

SharkShield said:


> Hi Sean,
> 
> According to the report, a breach is when the shark actually jumps from the water, which is what it does in order to attack it's prey....so in the study, when the Shark Shield was ON, there were ZERO breaches (attacks).
> 
> A surface interaction is when the fin was visible from the water, which indicates interest, but there was no "attack" per se.
> 
> I actually just re-read the study and the numbers are much better for the surface interactions than I said in my last comment.....27 surface interactions with it OFF and only 2 with it ON. The number I quote yesterday was the number of TOTAL interactions, which means being sighted with a camera underwater, not not actually approaching the surface where the seal decoy was located.
> 
> So, what I take from the report is, if you don't chum up the water and hang dead tuna baits off your kayak, Shark Shield works pretty dang well!
> 
> Hope that clarifies things for you.
> 
> Cheers
> Amanda


Thanks for that.... makes me feel even better when i switch it on 

*****


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## SharkShield

Hi all:

While this thread is very old, i think its worth the manufacturer giving a reply to clear things up. The Huveneers study is significant and looked at static bait tests and dynamic tests where a seal decoy was towed in South Africa.

For the static bait test the bait was placed on the very edge of the protective field such that the sharks were able, over time, to find the weakest field strength and eventually take the bait. This is why it took them twice as long to take the bait. The test set up was not ideal as while the design was such that the Shark Shield would remain horizontal over time is does sink and therefore the bait is not protected.

Here is a video explaining the Huveneers findings diagrammatically. 




More interesting was the dynamic testing where out of 189 tows, half with the Shark Shield turned off and half turned on. With the Shark Shield off there were sixteen (16) breaches (more than half of the shark's body breaks the water surface). With the Shark Shield turned on there were zero (0) breaches!

Here's some GoPro footage taken by Huveneers showing the Shark Shield FREEDOM7 in action. This is a seal decoy being towed behind a boat in False Bay South Africa. You can just see the seal decoy in the top right of the screen on the ocean surface. The first 2 videos are with the Shark Shield turned OFF just to show you how close the sharks get and can take the decoy. The last videos are with the Shark Shield turned ON and you can see the sharks, even when charging in attack mode, cannot break through the protective field of the Shark Shield.






We're here to answer any queries that you may have. The worst is guessing or listening to others who may not really know what they're talking about 

Best way to contact us in at [email protected]


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