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By Ashley Jeffery, Reporter
Last Updated: Sunday, July 27, 2014, 4:44 PM
To keep sharks at bay in local waters, an Australian based company is working on a product, named Shark Shield, that cuts down on close encounters.

“[The sharks] might come in but just close enough to where you could see them, then go away and stay on the outer perimeter of us,” said Chad Campbell of Suncoast Dive Shop.

“You wear [Shark Shield] on your ankle and this antenna trails behind you in the water and inside the antenna we’ve got two electrodes,” said Shark Shield GM Amanda Wilson.

The electrodes create an underwater electric field. When a shark comes close to someone wearing the shark shield, the device causes spasms and keeps the sharks away.

“It doesn’t cause any long-term damage, it just causes the muscular contraction of their snout,” said Wilson. “As soon as they’re outside of the field, that spasm stops.”

Shark Shield comes in three variations, with prices starting at $599.

Today, Shark Shield has announced the appointment of Independent Chairman Alan Broome, Independent Director James Wakim and Advisory Board member Jane McKellar to the board.

Shark Shield remains the world’s only independently tested and proven shark deterrent technology and is the result of over 20 years of research by some of the world’s leading shark experts.

Lindsay Lyon, Shark Shield Managing Director says, “We are thrilled to have such a high calibre of new Director’s with the skills to take our growth to the next level. With our new surfing product currently under development, each of our new members will play an integral part in the successful launch later this year, and our ongoing expansion into the USA of the current product range”.

In the current financial year Shark Shield has experienced revenue growth of 60% year to date, and their recent expansion into the USA has also proven to be a success, with revenue growth of 300% year to date, and an increase in retailers from seven to fifty stores.

About our new team:

Alan Broome. AM – Independent Chairman

Alan Broome is a professional Chairman, Director and Business Advisor with over 40 year’s experience in building both small and large enterprises, primarily technology and mining related. In 2000 Alan was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) for services to mining.

Alan was a long standing Chairman of Ocean & Earth, one of the world’s largest surf hardware companies, and as such brings a wealth of knowledge to Shark Shield in developing and launching its new surfboard shark deterrent innovation.

James Wakim – Independent Director

James Wakim is a professional and successful CEO and Director with over 15 years board level experience across the banking, health, medical research, ethnic affairs and private family manufacturing sectors.

As both a NED and MD/CEO, he has developed excellent skills in building sustainable corporations...

Shark Shield has been named by Choice, Australia’s leading independent consumer watchdog, as the only effective shark deterrent on the market. Following an extensive review of the shark deterrent options currently available, Shark Shield was the only deterrent shown to be independently tested and scientifically proven to turn sharks away.

According to Choice, “Shark Shield is the only electrical repellent on the market that’s been independently shown to be effective at deterring sharks from biting.” Choice author, Chris Doyle said the device worked by creating an electrical field along a 2m cord that trailed behind the wearer. Sharks have small gel-filled sacs in their snouts called ‘Ampullae of Lorenzini’, short-range sensors used for feeding, so Shark Shield’s unique three-dimensional electrical waveform causes spasms in these sensors and effectively turns sharks away.

Recent independent research funded by the Western Australian State Government, as part of its investment in Shark Hazard Mitigation, lead by Professor Shaun Collin, Director of the University of Western Australia Oceans Institute, has proven the efficacy of Shark Shield’s technology.

Collins stated, “During testing Shark Shield successfully turned sharks away in nine out of ten times. We hope this research will ultimately lead to the development of new shark deterrent technologies in the future.” A renowned expert in his field, Collins also authored Electroreception in Vertebrates and Invertebrates published in the Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, Oxford Academic Press 2010.

In 2012, Dr Charlie Huveneers from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and Flinders University and his team also tested the effectiveness of Shark Shield. Part of this independent scientific testing used a seal decoy off the coast of South Africa, with white sharks seen to visibly abort attack charges with no surface breach observed with the Shark Shield device turned on.

Huveneers was quoted in the Choice report explaining, “the effectiveness...

Sunday 7th February saw over 3,500 swimmers take to the water in The Sydney Morning Herald Cole Classic presented by Virgin Active. Little did they know that Shark Shield, the world’s only scientifically proven and independently tested electrical shark deterrent devices were protecting them throughout the race.

Twelve Shark Shield’s were attached one metre below on the large swim buoys that marked out the course, creating a loose electrical shield and providing a place of refuge in the unlikely event that a shark sighting occurred.

Lindsay Lyon, Shark Shield’s Managing Director said, “We were approached by the event organisers who were pro-actively seeking out proven technology to reduce risk for their contestants.”

“Traditionally, our products haven’t been used in organised ocean swims. However, in theory the devices would provide a loose electrical shield to turn sharks away had they ventured into the area, and most certainly a place of refuge for swimmers if required,” Lyon said.

Choice, Australia’s leading independent consumer watchdog, recently announced Shark Shield as the only effective shark deterrent on the market. Following an extensive review of the shark deterrent options currently available, Shark Shield was the only deterrent shown to be independently tested and scientifically proven to turn sharks away.

“The use of Shark Shield’s at this event is a good example of how our proven deterrent technology can be used as a preventative measure to reduce risk to the community. We remain open the opportunity to work with other water sport events and competitions,” added Lyon.

http://www.rebateszone.com/spring-gift-guide

Fresh mown grass, birds chirping, and the continuous rhythm of footfalls in light music on the jogging track: the spring is here. Flowers are blooming, the spring wedding season is here, and chances are someone you know will be getting married soon. The cold is good and all. The snow is interesting. But in the end, cold weather tends to bind us to the home. Come spring, freedom awaits us once more.

You don’t even have to be an active person to enjoy the freshness that is brought by spring. The Spring break is either in progress or just round the corner and incidentally so is Easter. The Easter Eggs and the popular legendary anthropomorphic Easter Bunny all make for a jolly holiday. If children are a part of your life, then the Easter egg hunt is something to look forward to. After all, if the White House does it for children, then so can you.

So, now that we have rounded up on all the current goings on, let us move to our latest gift guide prepared specifically for the Spring of 2016. We have once again done the research for you and bring you the best.

FREEDOM7
Do you like to go for scuba diving, free diving, or spearfishing? Are you afraid that someday you will have a terrible encounter with a shark? This device here is made just to alleviate these fears. It will reduce the chances of an unwanted shark encounter. It uses close-range, low frequency electrical fields to keep the sharks away. This causes an irritation in the shark’s snout from which the shark will move away. It does not harm the shark in any way and you can enjoy your activities without the fear as well.

An independent peer reviewed research paper, published in the international science journal PLOS ONE has confirmed Shark Shield as an effective shark deterrent. The research was conducted over a two and half year period at a cost of $680,000, funded by the Western Australian State Government as part of its investment in Shark Hazard Mitigation, following a spate of shark attacks in 2012.

The research was led by Professor Shaun Collin, Assoc. Prof Nathan Hart, and Dr. Ryan Kempster of The University of Western Australia’s Oceans Institute and the School of Animal Biology. The team also completed laboratory and field trials on other electrical shark deterrents in addition to exploring and testing novel ways to deter sharks including underwater sounds, bright flashing lights and bubbles.

Collin stated, “During testing, Shark Shield successfully turned white sharks away nine out of ten times. We hope this research will ultimately lead to the development of new electric-based shark deterrent technologies in the future.” A world-renowned expert in his field, Collin has authored many scientific papers in the field including ‘Electroreception in vertebrates and invertebrates’ published in the Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, Oxford Academic Press (2010).

Lindsay Lyon, Managing Director of Shark Shield stated, “This is the third independent scientific research paper proving Shark Shield to be the only device that effectively turns sharks away. This peer-reviewed paper shows adventure sport participates can remove up to 90% of the risk in activities like diving, spearfishing, kayaking and surfing. This removes all doubt about the efficacy of Shark Shield’s proven technology.”

The Company recently announced a $400K capital raising initiative to support the final manufacturing setup and inventory for its new FREEDOM+ Surf surfboard shark deterrent developed jointly with Ocean & Earth and 2 x World Surfing Champion Tom Carroll.

In 2012, Dr Charlie Huveneers from the South Australian Research...

In late 2014 Shark Shield was invited to participate with a panel of international experts by H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco and the Oceanographic Institute to discuss solutions to for human and shark coexistence. The panel met over a two day period with the objective of reconsidering our relationship with sharks through the development of a toolbox through the contributions from the panel of experts.

This “toolbox” is the result of an animated exchange between international experts, and is designed for authorities and actors faced with the coexistence of human activity and potentially dangerous shark species, as well as all those affected by this risk or simply interested in cohabitation issues between humans and wildlife.

Reaching beyond the impasse of the idea of confrontation between man and animals, the toolbox offers a wide range of solutions that are either already in existence or under development to address the risk and provide practical, proven or promising alternatives. It shows that an organised and peaceful cohabitation with sharks is now possible. You can download the toolbox here and view the video here.

H.S.H Prince Albert II of Monaco stated “This effort to share the oceans with sharks must be at the forefront of a broader commitment to recognise the importance of these large predators and protect them through the strengthened supervision of their fishing

Shark Shield, the world’s only scientifically proven and independently tested electrical shark deterrent technology, is challenging the status quo by posting the question ‘Can sharks be taught not to attack humans?’ at the upcoming International Surfing Symposium.

Held on Monday, 13th and Tuesday 14th March on the Gold Coast Australia, Shark Shield Managing Director Lindsay Lyon will pose the question as part of a panel discussion with some of the world’s leading shark experts.

“In psychology, classical conditioning is best known from the experiments by Ivan Pavlov where a stimulus was presented and then the dog was given food, after a few repetitions when the stimulus was presented the dog would salivate without food,” Lindsay says.

“CSRIO scientists have noted that tracked sharks often follow the same route annually stopping at the same beaches along the way, literally to the day. Could the longer-term use of proven electrical deterrents on surfboards over time generate a conditional response in sharks?

“If a shark’s electrical receptors spasm uncontrollably from the FREEDOM+ Surf electrical deterrent every time it swims by a surf break, will it stop swimming by that particular break. Can electrical deterrents be used to teach sharks to avoid humans?” Lyon hypothesizes.

In 2016 the UWA Ocean’s Institute released the third independent scientific research paper proving Shark Shield as the only device that effectively turns sharks away. This peer-reviewed paper showed adventure sport participants can significantly remove risk in activities like diving, spearfishing, kayaking and surfing. In reviewing the UWA research, The Australian Geographic magazine wrote “Great White Shark deterrent almost 100% effective.”

In 2012, Dr Charlie Huveneers from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and Flinders University tested the effectiveness of Shark Shield. Part of this independent scientific testing used a seal decoy off the coast of South Africa, with white sharks consistently aborting...

Following their presentation at the Senate inquiry into shark mitigation and deterrent measures
last week, Shark Shield, manufacturers of the world’s only scientifically proven and independently tested electrical shark deterrent, has today announced the pre-production release of a long-range version of its technology. The new Shark Shield Ocean Guardian is based on 20 years of research and utilizes a patented Metamaterial Electromagnetic Transducer, with expectations of repelling sharks within a 100-meter diameter of each unit installed.

Lindsay Lyon, Shark Shield CEO says, “The Ocean Guardian has been many years in the making and has come about through a partnership with leading physicists and biologists. We have been able to produce a long-range shark deterrent solution to not only protect beach goers but significantly reduce the environmental impacts caused by using shark nets, drum lines and culling.”

The new transducer form is based on technology used to treat patients in the medical field including, oncology, urology and other chronic diseases, with clinical studies demonstrating that the electromagnetic field does not affect the health of humans or ocean life, such as sharks or dolphins.

“Sharks have small short range electrical receptors in their snouts used for finding food. Shark Shield’s electromagnetic field causes unbearable spasms in these sensitive sensors, which turn sharks away, this has been well proven over the past twenty years. The Ocean Guardian leverages this weakness in sharks to not only deter them, but in the long run we hope to teach them to stay away from beaches protected by Shark Shield,” says Lyon.

“Classical conditioning, also known as Pavlovianor respondent conditioning, refers to a learning procedure in which a biologically potent stimulus, such as food, is paired with a previously neutral stimulus, such as long term use of Shark Shield Ocean Guardian. With our Ocean Guardian in place, over time sharks will learn...