Flinders University research reveals most effective great white shark repellent

SO, you have a great white shark bearing down on you and you have a repellent — but will it work? This video helps explain if you have the right one.

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A COMMERCIALLY available shark repellent can lessen the chances of attack by a great white shark by up to half — if you pick the right one — research has found.

A new study has shown the Ocean Guardian Freedom+ Surf had the greatest effect on white shark behaviour among five deterrents tested, reducing the chance of a white shark taking the surfboard-mounted bait from 96 per cent to 40 per cent.

But the other deterrents tested — Rpela, SharkBanz bracelet, SharkBanz surf leash, and Chillax Wax — had limited or no measurable effect on white sharks.

The study by the Southern Shark Ecology Group and Global Ecology Laboratory at Adelaide’s Flinders University was done at the Neptune Islands, with White sharks chosen as they are responsible for most of the unprovoked bites leading to human fatalities in Australia.

Associate Professor Dr Charlie Huveneers said the Freedom+ Surf was designed to deter sharks by overwhelming their electro-reception sensory organ.

“We found that the Freedom+ Surf, which produces a strong electric pulse, affected shark behaviour and reduced the chance of a white shark taking the surfboard-mounted bait from 96 per cent to 40 per cent,” he said.