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Since 2002, three surf skis have been bitten and severely
damaged by Great White Sharks in False Bay, here in Cape Town, South Africa
(See Sharks and Skis). After each
incident there has been vigorous debate about how to prevent such interactions
between the sharks (who are after all just living in their own environment) and
humans.
 Fenn Mako6 Shark Shield Special - showing location of the battery pack (Pic: Mike Schilperoort)
Shark Shield -
Impractical for Surf Skis?
One device invented in South Africa and developed in
Australia is the Shark Shield - which has been used successfully by water users
including surfers, divers and commercial fishermen to keep sharks at a
comfortable distance. It operates by
generating an electric field in the water that sharks find uncomfortable - an
effective, non invasive, ecologically friendly solution.
But, until now, the Shark Shield hasn't been very practical
for surf ski paddlers - because the unit relies on having a long antenna
immersed in the water. That's not good
when your craft is designed to have the minimum possible drag through the
water. (I actually bought a Shark Shield
in 2005 after Trevor Wright's ski was "nibbled" by a big Great White off Sunny
Cove in Fish Hoek but I didn't even try to fit to my ski - on seeing the length
of antenna that I'd have to drag around I immediately re-sold the device.)
Enter Mike Schilperoort
For the last two years, Mike Schilperoort, chairman of the
Fish Hoek Surf Lifesaving Club has been working with Shark Repellent
Technologies, a division of the Natal Sharks Board, on this very problem: how
to fit the Shark Shield on a surf ski in such a way as to minimize its impact
on the performance of the ski.
The result is a special model of the Fenn Mako6 ski adapted
to fit stainless steel oval plates, recessed into the underside of the hull in
such a way as to minimize drag. The
Shark Shield's battery pack is fitted into an existing recess in front of the
rudder pedals, allowing easy access for the paddler - both to detach the
battery pack for recharging and to switch it on and off when required.
 The stainless steel electrodes (Pic: Mike Schilperoort)
Tests by the Natal Sharks Board have shown that the Shark
Shield is effective for up to six metres from the electrodes.
Fenn Mako6 "Shark
Shield Special"
The ski will be a standard Mako6 made in a special mould
that includes the electrode recesses (there's only one prototype at the moment
and Mike is looking to put together an initial order of about five skis to make
it worthwhile to build a mould). The all
up weight of the ski (including the Shark Shield) will be about 1kg heavier
than normal.
Dawid Mocke, #2 world ranked ski paddler, runs his Surfski
School from Fish Hoek beach and is most enthusiastic about the Shark Shield
ski. For a couple of years now he's been using shark shields attached to a line of buoys off the beach to protect his novice paddlers.
"It's a great idea," he said, "and
as for the weight - well, a slightly heavier ski is not a bad thing for training
and you're going to be a lot more comfortable knowing that you're safe!"
Using the Shark Shield Ski
The device's electric field is strong enough to be uncomfortable
when you're in the water near the electrodes so the standard procedure is to
pull the ski on its side to get the electrodes out of the water, switch the
unit off, get back into the ski and switch it on again.
"The only other time you might feel a twinge is if you
wallow in the water and a wave washes over
you, say if you fall off the back of a wave," said Pete Cole of the Fish Hoek Surf Lifesaving Club. "Otherwise there's no drawback to its use at
all."
 Mike's son Tom, testing the Shark Shield Special (Pic: Mike Schilperoort)
How to get a "Shark
Shield Special"
Contact Mike Schilperoort on +27 82 770 8604 or
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For more information on the Shark Shield, go to www.sharkshield.com
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