Shark Shield Issue

[deep thinker]

It works in saltwater, Ive forgotten to swith it off more that once, or while crawling though the kelp in millers

[capetownguy]

worst is when catchin kreef....the antenna happens to fall perfectly into the hole without u noticing and u grab it as well as the kreef!

once my dive buddy caught a kreef so fast he gave it a heart attack, he let it go and it fell to the bottom, dead! was so funny!

[ep surfer]

i have a 4 hour freedom unit for when im doing a recreational dive, but i have just lately bought a new unit that attaches to the back of my surfboard, and this unit lasts for 7 hours... you wouldnt think its too far down the track before diving units outlast a dive!
For what its worth i believe there is indisputable evidence that the shark shield is 99.5% effective... if theres a 6mtr white that wants you... hes going to get you!
remember... i heard more people die of bee stings than shark attacks! its just bees dont have big pointy teeth!!!

[capetownguy]

yeah i saw the surfboard unit, it looks great! how does it effect your surfing? only place i surf and worry about sharks is muizenberg, but then i just use my regular shark shield..

[williesnake]

were can i buy a shark shield????

[covert]

Originally Posted by williesnake

were can i buy a shark shield????

Should be available from a local spearfishing distrobuter, you can buy online, Shark Shield :: Shark deterrent system :: protection from shark attack and great white sharks:efault.asp or maybe even from this site, im sure they will stock or arrange a unit if you need.

BTW tell us a bit about yourself i see this is your first post.

[blumon]

I have a question for the guys with the shark shields: Do these devices only offer personal protection? I ask this 'cos being an advocate of the buddy system (ie one on the surface and the other down below) it would seem the field might be large enough to cover both individuals - more esp. a friend that might not be able to afford a shield. It may be a dumb question and I will be researching the equipment, but I'm asking it anyway 'cos experience is often the best teacher...and experience is the reason I am looking in to this addition to my equipment...I recently returned from the Bahamas and had an experience with a hammerhead. While working a series of lobster holes in about 40ft on the Sound side of the Exumas there was a sudden change in visibility and I lifted my head in time to see an eye-ball slowly pass my field of vision. Still not registering, I was more concerned about the colour and clarity of the water, when I realized that what I was looking at was the side of a large moving object ...this object finally came to an end and I realized that it was a Hammerhead...a fraking monster! There was no aggression at all and it seemed that it was merely a chance crossing of paths. We stayed in the water for a couple more hours and never saw this guy again. I later found out that an area/location close-by was a known breeding site for Hammerheads. So...I started thinking about Shark shields...B

[covert]

Yeah never fun swimming into a shark, I have personally swam into my fair share of ragged tooth sharks (grey nurse shark). Though once again I should not be diving in bad viz.

But in any case back to your question, we do have friends that dont have sharks shields, And it doesn't necessarily protect them, the range is only 5-10m (lets call it 5 for accuracy sake) which means most of the time your buddy will be out of effective range.

Where it could come in handy though is that if you have spotted a shark, your buddy can swim towards you as close as possible and then you can head back to shore in the protective field. This should work.

Though my opinion is that if there is a chance of sharks in your area GET A SHARKSHIELD!! People complain they are too expensive and yes they aren't cheap. But its a hell of allot cheaper than replacing a limb

[williesnake]

Thanks For The Reply !!!

I Am From Carolina Puerto Rico ,i Start With My Open Water License On 2002, But In 2005 I Discover Free Diving And Spearfishing... So I Am Here To Learn About Techniques And Tips . So Anything That Anybody Want To Know About My Beautiful Island Feel Free To Ask.

[covert]

nice welcome to DB any question have a search and if you cant find the answers feel free to fire away. We are a helpful bunch of freaks here

Anyway post some pics i need a holiday lol.

[Lenny]

Covert I know about the unwritten rule, but I say: hey stuff it! What's the point of having a shield and not useing it! I dive with you guys without one and that's a risk I take cos I want to dive with buddies and not alone. I don't know if the shield actually attracts them, even if it does, so does blood in the water, so does splashing, so does fish struggeling on the spear. There are a hundred other reasons why a GW should come investigate you even without a shark shield. and If a Shark does come investigate I'd rather have a buddy watching my back than the alternative of having to face a great white alone! So when I'm with you I really don't mind at all, use it by all means! it will in all likeliness be of benefit to both of us rather than a disadvantage to one in the event of an encounter. Besides I don't think it will be too long before I get myself one. I have now fully convinced my wife that she will not see yellowtail on our table until I get a sharkshield!

[Lenny]

[\quote]For what its worth i believe there is indisputable evidence that the shark shield is 99.5% effective... if theres a 6mtr white that wants you... hes going to get you!
remember... i heard more people die of bee stings than shark attacks! its just bees dont have big pointy teeth!!![/quote]

I wonder about this cos the guys who developed the shield say that, it is not really effective on small sharks. But it is effective on the bigger preditory sharks because they have a more developed senses for elctromagnetic pulses, since they rely more heavily on this sense for hunting than the smaller sharks. That's just what they say.

Also people love to quote the fact that more people die of x than of shark attacks. Like there was this banner in Fish Hoek (GW attack hotspot) that said "More people die by falling of chairs than by shark attacks". What they forget is that there are a million times more people who come into contact chairs on a daily basis than GWs. If nearly the entire world's population came into contact with GWs on a daily basis as they do with chairs, i'm sure that quite the opposite of this statement would be true! In fact I think that all the GWs would probally have been culled to extinction, because the amount of attacks would be staggering! I'm not saying we should cull them, but I am saying it is stupid to compare the odds of getting chomped to the odds of dying some other way!

[covert]

lol lenny its just people trying to rectify the image of the GW remember jaws made it out to be this man killing monster, and fickle minded people beleived this, this tarnished the sharks image as true master predator, and an awesome creation. So its all Public Relations. looking at sites and headlines like this
Shark Attacks
no wonder the poor buggers need a dedicated PR team.

But yeah its kind of weird swimming round millers point this weekend, with three fishies strung to my float like a sosatie being hounded by cow sharks, double checking three or for times that my shield was on. But admittedly as long as it works on mako's, GW's Coppers and large hamerheads im pretty happy the rest I can deal with.

[Lockedin]

Covert (and friends)

It seems that agreed theory is that GW's are pretty smart / curious animals. Would it not stand to reason that the GW's will begin realize that the diver / surfer shape is not pleasant to explore (bite), and is better left alone?

Odd question to SS users - Does it repel other fish?

Just my .02

Oh, and though my above citation and pics were somewhat tongue-in-cheek, there are some obvious ettiquette issues (swim step, crowded lineup, etc.) to hash out.

[Lenny]

Thatś the million dollar question which everybody including the scientific community are trying to find out. We know they are super intelligent, and we know that we are not their natural prey. And most marine biologists actually agree that they can recognise the difference between people and other prey! Yet what happens in reality is quite unexplainable: There are many people who dive ´unprotected´ with GWś and encounter no problems, in fact probally the majority of encouters are of this sort. But every now and then , (just when you think you understand them) they will go contrary to everything you know about them, and attack a bather in 2m of water!

So as some wise spearo said: ¨The only predictable thing about a shark, is itś unpredicatbility.¨