LIVE STREAMING
Photo: Jeff Kubina, Flickr Commons
 

Surfer creates wetsuit to stop shark attacks

Hamish Jolly, a kitesurfer and entrepreneur, has created a wetsuit to help stop shark attacks.

MORE IN THIS SECTION

Mourning in Colombia

Piñatas For Everyone

A Latino in the Stars

Hispanic Role Model

A Latino Storyteller

Pau Gasol enters the HOF

SHARE THIS CONTENT:

Shark attacks are nothing new, however shark attacks have been on the rise off the coast of North and South Carolinas.

After hearing about a series of fatal and non-fatal shark attacks in Western Australia a few years ago, Hamish Jolly, a kitesurfer and entrepreneur, wanted to find a way to protect surfers without making them stay out of the water.

At a 2013 TedxPerth talk, Jolly presented a solution: a striped wetsuit that would deter sharks from attacking the swimmer. The striped design is supposed to resemble a lionfish or sea eel, which sharks tend not to eat. Jolly also created a blue wetsuit that aims to hide the person within the water.

Photo via Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS) website

Not everyone thinks the suit will work, since sharks use other senses like hearing and smell to hunt prey.

"That striped suit that is supposed to look like a lionfish is about as nice a thing as you can do to attract a shark, because of the contrast between dark and light," George Burgess, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, told National Geographic.

The company Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS), is selling the wetsuit for more than $400 with the following message:

“It is impossible for SAMS to guarantee that 100 percent of sharks will be deterred under all circumstances with the SAMS technology.” And that’s not necessarily SAMS’ fault, it suggests: “All sharks are dangerous and unpredictable creatures.”

  • LEAVE A COMMENT:

  • Join the discussion! Leave a comment.

  • or
  • REGISTER
  • to comment.
  • LEAVE A COMMENT:

  • Join the discussion! Leave a comment.

  • or
  • REGISTER
  • to comment.
00:00 / 00:00
Ads destiny link