Researchers Think They Have Found A Way To Reduce Shark Attacks On Surfers

If you’ve ever turned on a light switch only to be temporarily blinded by a bright LED bulb, you know how a group of great white sharks felt during a scientific study near Mossel Bay in South Africa. As a result of that research, there’s a new strategy for deterring sharks from attacking surfers or kayakers.

At first sight

Essentially, researchers found that by affixing LED lights to the underside of surfboards and kayaks is enough to interrupt a shark’s hunting instincts.

Macquarie University researcher Dr. Laura Ryan chose Mossel Bay to conduct the study due to the high number of sharks. She used decoys shaped like seals and tested shark responses. Evidence showed that attacks were significantly less likely on the decoys equipped with LED lighting.

The reason bright lights are so effective on sharks is that these animals depend on their incredible vision to track and hunt prey. While constant, bright light appears to be the best way to disrupt that sense of sight, evidence shows that other lighting methods aren’t as effective.

Strobe lights, for example, didn’t prevent sharks from identifying prey even during the brief moments that the light flickers off.

Simply misunderstood

Although shark attacks are relatively rare, they receive a lot of media attention due to their often vicious nature. And while this has earned the species a reputation for being overtly aggressive toward humans, experts say that’s not the case.

In fact, most shark attacks appear to be a case of mistaken identity. As it turns out, the bottoms of surfboards and kayaks can look a lot like a seal or some other tasty snack from the shark’s perspective.

So before you head out into the ocean, make sure you pick up a few ultra-bright LED lights.

Chris Agee November 13th, 2024

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