Hi everyone,

New user here, I'm Jean-Baptiste from France, Normandy and planning on moving to La R?union island next winter (summer in your hemisphere).

I've been windsurfing for 25 years and now switching to wingfoiling..what a blast! I feel like a kid again, discovering new sensations. I love it.

I do feel ok going in the water on a Sharkey island, but would feel way safer (in my head, and it's important) to have a little protection like sharkshield.
I tried to contact the directly but haven't got any answer, unfortunately : how to get the sharkshield effect on a foil? It fly over the water, so surely has no effect while flying, right? I heard a couple of stories of people getting their foil hunted by sharks, so even if I get some protection while on the critical situation (getting back on the board after a fall), I'd be reassured not having my foil bitten while I'm riding!

What are your experiences with sharkshield on a foil board ? Do any of you use one?

Cheers!

Not sure I understand what a shark shield is but I think I heard Armie telling once on a podcast (not sure which) that the black white stripes on the Armstrong foil seem to have an added benefit of deterring sharks. Seems to visually disorient or scare them.
So be safe and choose Armstrong or paint high contrasting stripes all over your gear! Maybe to top it off get a b&w striped wetsuit too

Can anyone confirm about the contrasting stripes and sharks?

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MProject04 said..
Not sure I understand what a shark shield is but I think I heard Armie telling once on a podcast (not sure which) that the black white stripes on the Armstrong foil seem to have an added benefit of deterring sharks. Seems to visually disorient or scare them.
So be safe and choose Armstrong or paint high contrasting stripes all over your gear! Maybe to top it off get a b&w striped wetsuit too

Can anyone confirm about the contrasting stripes and sharks?

Can't confirm whether it works, but seems a popular theory. Along with painting eyes on your board

Everything that deters them is tested on sharks. And it works, just like a shark shield. It works.

But the test is done on sharks that are just hangin out. The electrical field annoys them and they go away.

However, when a 6m great white that is the size of a minivan in girth is coming at you at 40kph with intent .... is the little zapper gonna deter it? Will stripes?

Doubt it.

Me too, but I don't think that's what this is about.

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Mark _australia said..
The electrical field annoys them and they go away.

Or... an electrical field can actually attract them. This is a complex topic.
"In experiments testing sharks' electroreception skills, scientists have confirmed that the fish will indeed make last-minute feeding decisions based on electrical impulses. For example, when given the option between dead fish and an electrically charged rod, a shark will initially head for the fish, then alter its course toward the metal rod at the last minute[...]The power of electroreception also explains why sharks will continue attacking human victims even while being rescued by another person. Instead of going for the fresh meat of the rescuer, sharks will be repeatedly drawn to their previous victims because of the salt released from blood in the water [source: Viegas]. The higher salt concentration increases the intensity of the electrical field around the victim."


animals.howstuffworks.com/fish/sharks/electroreception.htm

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BullroarerTook said..
Me too, but I don't think that's what this is about.

Sounds to me like he wants to know if its worth it..

I wear a little sharkbanz magnet all the time. Spearfishing, surfing and dinging. Luckily i have seen it work twice for me.

If you were in the bush and heard a big doof doof dance party you would go and check it out...bit like a noisy shark shield in the big ocean.
Have seen a big shark turn up when a bloke was wearing an active shark shield.

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Mark _australia said..

BullroarerTook said..
Me too, but I don't think that's what this is about.

Sounds to me like he wants to know if its worth it..

Maybe I'm just paranoid, I hope so, but it sounded to me like he wanted to advertise it. (Odd first post?)

Ohhh
Yeah im normally wondering the same

I stumbled upon this, on the difference of "culture" between Great White populations:So things that work on some sharks may not work of others of the same species, but with a different background...

I was reading an article on Inertia and came across Shark Stop wetsuit.
See below and they have a website.

?si=g-2L8DBxSbnK50Sn

I met a guy who was bitten by great white snorkeling Stewart Island NZ. "Didn't like my taste with wetsuit"! Luckily for him he was with a doctor who stopped him bleeding out.

If you do a bit of research, there is quite a bit about shark shield testing by reputable agents. (Now called Ocean Guardian). It certainly seems to deter attack, but doesn't claim to stop any possibility of it. Shark Shield seems to be the gadget with the most positive testing outcomes.

I bought the diving version, intending to use it when I'm in uncomfortable water or down winders. My intention is to find a way to fit it on my harness so I could deploy it if I had to do a long swim. I think, in those circumstances, id be glad to have but I've been too lazy to set it up so far.

The surfboard version fits on the board itself and the board must be in contact with the water for a circuit to be made. This isn't possible in foiling with the present versions.

Personally, I would like Shark Shield to come up with a version that you wear rather than fit to your equipment.