Scientists test bite-resistant wetsuits to protect against sharks

OAN:
Scientists at Flinders University in South Australia have tested bite-resistant wetsuits designed to reduce injuries from shark encounters. Using white and tiger sharks, the research showed that these new materials can limit critical damage compared to standard neoprene suits.

The goal of the technology is to protect arteries, slow blood loss, and give swimmers, surfers, and divers more time to reach safety and medical care. Experts say this breakthrough could be especially valuable for those who spend long hours in the ocean where large sharks are more common. more

17 Comments on Scientists test bite-resistant wetsuits to protect against sharks

  1. It would be nice if this works. I can’t help but think that reducing the penalties for taking risks might well increase risk-taking.

    How do you say, “Neener!” in shark-talk?

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  2. @geoff — It looks like the suit isn’t supposed to be repellant, but rather a protectant. IOW, instead of biting an arm off and bleeding to death, the result will be for the wearer to make it back to the ER where his arm is found to be crushed beyond repair.

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  3. so basically this turns divers into chew toys for sharks. guess they can keep chewing until the paste squeezes out the ends like my dog does when I put a peanut butter treat in the Kong ball.

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  4. Ummmmmm……..
    Didn’t somebody invent a shark resistant suit some time ago?
    IIRC, it was a chain-mail suit, helm, and gloves that were worn over the wetsuit.
    I don’t remember any details, it seemed to be under testing (again, IIRC) at the time.
    I thought it was a pretty neat idea.

  5. Read a long time ago about a diver who made his wetsuit have the same color pattern as a highly venomous water snake. On the first dive using it, he met a shark coming up toward him while he was going down. After getting a bit closer the shark swapped ends, voided his bowels, and left for parts unknown…in a hurry. Maybe the diver was just lucky?

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