IDT’s !! io , io, i’m suppose to be workin’, you know…
This is another method I use often. I usually take a “chum” with me when I surf. Usually its one of my sons. Which ever one has been givin me grief lately. And I affectionately call them “Chum”. I usually have them surf about 1/4 mile away from me.
Wow, What a coincidence! Before the IDT’s I used to tie a 5 lb chunk of Ahi to my surf buddy’s leash, used 20lb mono. Ran out of surf buddies though, but the same chum idea…Great minds think a like!
The shark camo on Lawless’s board looks like one of those ink blot test. I see a vagina. What do you see? Pee attracks sharks? Bummer. Try peeing on your buddies suit before he puts in on then stay away from him. Mike
you said that of the last 10 ink blots …
hopefully , thats not what the shark sees. or maybe it is… Are there more male sharks or more female sharks ?
You might be on to something with the “pee” thing. What if you could bottle Orca pee ?
Ha! I’m with Soulstice. I don’t ever eat shark, so I figure karma is on my side. It was either that or law school (professional courtesy), and this way’s cheaper.
I surf a lot with a woman who’s husband is one of the GWS researchers out on the Farallones. She passes on all the same conventional wisdom stuff, but says he tells her it decreases the risks significantly enough to the point that, if you pay attention to enough of the risk factors, you couldn’t get a shark to bite you.
No dusk, no rain, no outgoing tides at rivermouths. No bleeding, no peeing, no boogieboarding over rivermouth sandbars. Surf a 9’ + board - they didn’t get to be apex predators by picking on the big guys, they cull the weak & young. Stay over kelp & rocks when you can, predatory behavior in water less than 15’ deep is 99% over sand. Deep water predation, on the other hand, is over rock (which is why people get bitten at Salmon Creek - shallow sand - and Mavericks - deep rocks - but not Santa Cruz).
Howzit soulstice, There used to be a restaurant here on Kauai that served shark sandwhiches and their motto was "Bite Back". Aloha,Kokua
I have heard that a large pair of “eyes” on the bottom of the board will deter a shark - ie a couple of round decals or somesuch.
The theory is they won’t go near what is looking at them.
Re: surfing in the Red Triangle - seems like I heard or read that Fall is the worst time of year for attacks. Anyone know if that is true or if there is some seasonal trend based on mating, migration, feeding or other? Not that I’m going to not surf in the Fall - just curious.
Jim
this is real simple, an aussie friend (ian cairns) once told me " don’t worry, they always bite the other guy" spoken while we were the only two out at Cave Rock in south africa—which made me the other guy 
Hey Jim,
In Monterey Bay the bait fish tends to move inshore in the Fall. The anchovies move in, the sardines follow them, the seals and sea lions follow them in. Pelicans and assorted sea birds all feasting on the bait fish. I think the assumption is the Whities follow the rest. I don’t know if there are more sightings of Whities or kills. I keep my damn eyes open this time of year though. The seals and sea lions haul-out in our Winter to mate and calve as you probably know. Might be more Whitey action then. I stay away from the rookeries. Well, usually. Mike
I guess the best thing we got going for us with Whites is that they readily admit their mistakes. “Oh, sorry dude, your not an elephant seal. I’ll just let you go and be on my way. My bad.”
The “force field” doesn’t shock them. It overloads their electroc-magnetic sense.
When the first live test run was done by a diver over here (at Glenelg Reef) he was bitten by a 5 meter great white.
Also, the field probably attracts sharks from a considerable distance and repels them from close range. So don’t surf anywhere near someone using one… And if you use one hope the batteries don’t run out 
Forgot to add “always surf with a partner” to my list.
-doug
Shark shocker
Electric field shark repellent wet suit
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 20 September, 2005 : - - The two divers left for 6 hours in shark-invested waters near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef (see story) this week would surely have welcomed the wetsuit being patented by Vladimir Vlad in the US. The new suit takes advantage of the fact that sharks have sensitive receptors in their snouts which detect electrical fields in the water. This helps them track prey, but if the field is too powerful the shark backs off.
Made of metal and neoprene in the usual way, the wetsuit has thin piezoelectric ceramic fibres woven into its fabric. The fibres extend along the body and limbs, connecting to metal electrodes which harvest any charge generated when the piezo material is deformed by the wearer’s movement.
The voltage delivered by the fibres depends on their length and how many there are. During normal swimming, the suit continually generates several volts which flow through the water between the electrodes to create a deterrent field. If the diver sees an undeterred shark and swims fast to get away – a natural reaction, one suspects – the suit generates much higher voltages and stronger fields.
If the shark still fails to get the message and bites the suit, it gets a shock in the mouth and – hopefully – gives up for the day.
taken from: http://www.globalsurfnews.com/news.asp?Id_news=18484
…crazy huh?!
Rio
from the shark attack minimising site:
“Exercise caution when occupying the area between sandbars or near steep dropoffs — these are favorite hangouts for sharks.”
isn’t that where we want to be? standing waves excepted.
Rio - crazy stuff!
Benny1 - yeah, but who wants to just hang in the channel? Same thing.
-doug
The “force field” doesn’t shock them. It overloads their electroc-magnetic sense.
No, that’s not true. You just need a bigger battery. I’m thinking something like an un-amped 220 volt line.
I have a fool proof way of preventing shark attacks while surfing… Erie, PA.
http://www.lakevision.com/navigate.php
I am driving up for the holiday weekend and taking my fish that Manny made for me. I hope the 4/3 + hood, gloves, and booties will be enough.
Anyone know a good way to prevent Nellie attacks?
Spoons
You could make friends with a pack of bodyboarders. I’m sure that if you were surfing with three or four of those “bite-sizers” and you were on a 7’0, your chances of attack would be pretty slim… especially if you talked them into sporting some of that reflective tape that the put on fishing lures… I know I always feel a lot safer up north (California) when theres one of those guys in the water too. Just looking at the guy, I’m thinking, “Your going to go first man.” Ha ha! -Carl
Man- nobody is safe! My son got bit by a sand shark at Cowell’s last week. It being a warm day and a long lull- he hung off his board dragging his toes along the bottom. The shark reached out and bit him across the toes. All five toes got jagged cuts and bled.The beach is a dangerous place. Stay home, sell your surfboards.
Steiny, Is Paul OK? Or are you just pulling our chains. PM me, please. Bagman