I'm not a stress head about many things, had enough knocks in life to know what's worth the worry and what's not.

But sharks, in my book they are still worth the worry. And yeah I know all the stats and that I can likely get hit twice by lightening etc. But with my luck that's what will happen.

I've sussed out lots of gear. Sea snake stripes, magnetic bands, electronic deterrents, camouflage board bottoms etc.

Stripes? Maybe, makes some sense.

Magnetic wrist and ankle bands? What a load of crock.

Electronic devices? I know they work because my boys have them and had a 4m white stalking them that was deterred. But bulky and prone to failure, electronics and salt water = failure.

Camouflage? Makes sense as well, if they can't easily see you then they will likely head for the next bloke in the line up

And now big fat eyes? If they thing you can see them they get spooked. Makes sense as well having been stalked by a 14' tiger whilst spearfishing that as long as we kept an eye on him he stayed away, the moment he thought we were not watching he approached, and then when he knew we had seen him he casually drifted off into the periphery of our vision, sneaky bugger, just sitting outside of how far we could see.

So I was wondering what others use and why?

What was your reasoning behind what you bought?

Does it give you a warm fuzzy?

And how does the idea that what you use may effect others in the lineup sit with you? This one is asked because there are some new studies showing that the electronic devices actually attract curious sharks. If you have one and your mate does not then who's likely to get chomped? And who attracted the chomper?

Me? I'm leaning towards the eyes, but they are a crap load of money for a couple of stickers, and crikey I'll be stuffed if I am going to pay jacked up postage costs for a couple of stickers. Seriously double or more of what it actually costs to post something that small.

And lastly, do you think a couple of cheap eBay cats eye stickers would have the same effect? My thinking is that eyes are eyes? What is so special about their stickers?

Thoughts?

Oh and I asked in the long boarding because generally it's full of more experienced older guys and less reactionary younger ones.

Plus some of you might have some ripper stories to tell

classic comment: Only gonna attract Tigers sharks instead, looking to mate

You know how to start a conversation sharks always gets things going.

sharkview.com.au/

www.sharkeyes.com.au/

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Macaha said..
You know how to start a conversation sharks always gets things going.

Well you know I like to jibber jabba.

Personally I like shark view home page

techfaster.com/orca-shark-deterrent/

www.amazon.com/Sticker-Repellent-Surfers-Standup-Paddlers/dp/B015T8RHMG/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=shark+repellent&linkCode=sl2&linkId=bd87f454860217438161fcf5aceb71eb&qid=1582537961&sr=8-8

Me personally i use a product called Rpela thats made by a local shaper and member in this page, Katana surf.

I use it because i saw the fear in my wife's eyes once and decided i should do some genuine research and try mitigate myself, if that is possible. I was stunned what i found and and have forgotten more than i've learned but was stunned at the product, the research and the effort that has gone into something like this. Even more disgusted at the politics of these products.

I have just dropped my two units (sons and mine) in for servicing after nearly 5 years or working flawlessly.

My best suggestion is to talk directly to him and get the facts from the horse's mouth as too many people try educate themselves online.

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jbshack said..
Me personally i use a product called Rpela thats made by a local shaper and member in this page, Katana surf.

I use it because i saw the fear in my wife's eyes once and decided i should do some genuine research and try mitigate myself, if that is possible. I was stunned what i found and and have forgotten more than i've learned but was stunned at the product, the research and the effort that has gone into something like this. Even more disgusted at the politics of these products.

I have just dropped my two units (sons and mine) in for servicing after nearly 5 years or working flawlessly.

My best suggestion is to talk directly to him and get the facts from the horse's mouth as too many people try educate themselves online.

Thanks JB, I have researched the Rpela.

Had a couple of sticking points for me.

1 Install looks to butcher your board quite badly. Would it not be simpler to have a stick on electrode? Shoving a wire up through your foam looks brutal.

2 Power output. I believe this has been addressed. Version one was something like 0.9 volts, don't know amps? New version is supposedly double?

3 Attraction. New research pointing to curious sharks being attracted? Might just be a campaign of disinformation?

In the end all electronic units have some advantages and some disadvantages it seems.

For me the biggest reluctance is fitment.

Happy for advice and facts to set me straight.

Cheers

Pop in to Soul Boardstore and get your shark eyes postage/freight free.

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Hydromann said..

jbshack said..
Me personally i use a product called Rpela thats made by a local shaper and member in this page, Katana surf.

I use it because i saw the fear in my wife's eyes once and decided i should do some genuine research and try mitigate myself, if that is possible. I was stunned what i found and and have forgotten more than i've learned but was stunned at the product, the research and the effort that has gone into something like this. Even more disgusted at the politics of these products.

I have just dropped my two units (sons and mine) in for servicing after nearly 5 years or working flawlessly.

My best suggestion is to talk directly to him and get the facts from the horse's mouth as too many people try educate themselves online.

Thanks JB, I have researched the Rpela.

Had a couple of sticking points for me.

1 Install looks to butcher your board quite badly. Would it not be simpler to have a stick on electrode? Shoving a wire up through your foam looks brutal.

2 Power output. I believe this has been addressed. Version one was something like 0.9 volts, don't know amps? New version is supposedly double?

3 Attraction. New research pointing to curious sharks being attracted? Might just be a campaign of disinformation?

In the end all electronic units have some advantages and some disadvantages it seems.

For me the biggest reluctance is fitment.

Happy for advice and facts to set me straight.

Cheers

Honestly i can't suggest enough to ask those questions directly to the manufacturer.

As i said, the politics is disgusting in this space, a visit and discussion you will soon understand exactly how it works, why it works and you'll have all the info you need to make an informed decision.

Yes you need to fit in your board, but i guess if you want something that works, then sacrifices need to be made.

Thanks guys appreciate the comments.

Rpela looks awesome, unit placement is good but to me invasive to a boards design.

Having never had one I have no idea if it will compromise any structural integrity or performance.

As far as effectiveness I place a lot of credibility on non biased or sponsored third party, qualified assesment. The maker of Rpela has invested heavily towards the product.

Another point of consideration in electronic devices is affordability.

In WA gov rebates applied I think to any product that was independently validated to work. Not sure where that is all at now but even with a rebate they are expensive.

For my personal situation an electronic device is beyond my financial grasp and would cost more than my board.

So I need to consider the passive deterants.

And that pretty much aligns with nature, to be seen and make your presence known. Or to hide and blend into the background.

Octopus is a great example of both methods, able to blend seamlessly into the background, or to warn of potential danger to would be predators with blue rings or striped bands to mimic a sea snake.

But I'm not an octopus.

Bugger the shark eyes.

Go get yourseld a set of

Vanders "hunting eyes"

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laceys lane said..
Bugger the shark eyes.

Go get yourseld a set of

Vanders "hunting eyes"

Not only dose he scare sharks he also scares the entire line up out of the water, guaranteed an empty line to yourself. Vanders eyes priceless.

Haha.
Its a bit like faulty towers and the major this shark talk

" don't mention the war"

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laceys lane said..
Bugger the shark eyes.

Go get yourseld a set of

Vanders "hunting eyes"

What are those?

www.choice.com.au/health-and-body/diet-and-fitness/surfing-and-snowboarding/articles/shark-repellents-review

www.surfertoday.com/surfing/the-ultimate-guide-to-shark-repellents-and-deterrents/amp

bluvand.com/

So it seems that personal shark mitigation falls into two categories, passive and aggressive.

The third level is non personal and is generally imposed by government agencies. Again passive and aggressive.

Passive by way of new localised barriers, patrols and tagging to monitor and advise.

Aggressive in suicide nets that cause significant collateral damage, and drum lines that kill.

And then there are overall human factors of food source depletion through overfishing. And the sensationalisation of attacks that cause hysteria.

The only truely 100%effective solution is to stay on the beach. And for most of us that is untennable.

Best of luck with whatever you all decide could work for you.

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Hydromann said..
So it seems that personal shark mitigation falls into two categories, passive and aggressive.

The third level is non personal and is generally imposed by government agencies. Again passive and aggressive.

Passive by way of new localised barriers, patrols and tagging to monitor and advise.

Aggressive in suicide nets that cause significant collateral damage, and drum lines that kill.

And then there are overall human factors of food source depletion through overfishing. And the sensationalisation of attacks that cause hysteria.

The only truely 100%effective solution is to stay on the beach. And for most of us that is untennable.

Best of luck with whatever you all decide could work for you.

Just do a Mick,punch the bugger until it swims away,that way nobody has the die.

Mac you should get some of these to help you relax next time we're at Secret Spot.

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vanders1 said..
Mac you should get some of these to help you relax next time we're at Secret Spot.

So that's a vanders hunting eye.

Damn thing would kill a share with one look

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vanders1 said..
Mac you should get some of these to help you relax next time we're at Secret Spot.

I find it very hard to relax at spot V

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Macaha said..

Hydromann said..
So it seems that personal shark mitigation falls into two categories, passive and aggressive.

The third level is non personal and is generally imposed by government agencies. Again passive and aggressive.

Passive by way of new localised barriers, patrols and tagging to monitor and advise.

Aggressive in suicide nets that cause significant collateral damage, and drum lines that kill.

And then there are overall human factors of food source depletion through overfishing. And the sensationalisation of attacks that cause hysteria.

The only truely 100%effective solution is to stay on the beach. And for most of us that is untennable.

Best of luck with whatever you all decide could work for you.

Just do a Mick,punch the bugger until it swims away,that way nobody has the die.

Mick took the aggressive mitigation strategy

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Hydromann said..
sharkview.com.au/

So I read the full report.

Suffice to say that it was written by the people who market the product, however it does show some promise in the actual results.

Video evidence was interesting to watch but had no control to compare against, still photo's did and in the main one with the board covered in cammo I had no idea it was there. Still it would have been nice to see them take shots at 90 deg location changes and not just from an angle that showed the best results.

Many factors including the suns angle, reflectiveness etc all seem to affect the outcome.

Active avoidance or being able to fade into the background seems a very smart approach, it makes use of behavioral considerations in sharks whilst hunting and attempts to exploit them to the surfers advantage.

Paradoxically Shark Eyes take the opposite approach. Instead of hiding it presents itself to let the shark know that you can see them, also exploiting claimed behavior which is mostly based on anecdotal evidence from first hand encounters and experience.

Stripes seem to be attempting to manipulate the same factors, to using colour and contrast to signal warning and to avoid looking like the sharks last snack. But making you look like a surfing Zebra in the process.

So passively we have hide, challenge, and warn. And which of them is the better deterrent I have no idea? To my thinking not being seen in the first place is the better bet, but if that fails have the top of your painted with stripes and stick some eyes on it, then if you are found flip the board over and scare the crap outta the 5m great white by appearing outta nowhere.

And now to my shark story......

Growing up in Qld I lived in a suburb called Shorncliffe, and one of our favorite things to do after school was to jump off the jetty near the boat ramp. Cabbage tree creek had the murkiest brown river water you could imagine. All good fun until one of the lads landed smack bang on top of a 3m bull shark.

He used aggressive mitigation like Mick

Needless to say we didn't swim there much after that.

I can say for me Sharkeyes have worked 100%. I have had this set for nearly two years now and not once has my bin had an interaction with any shark ??

So clearly by "some" shark mitigation's products, that's proof they work.