shark shield

[big_steve001]

hey guys i just got given a shark shield from a mate and its for surfing. i was just wondering if i can use it for spearfishing or is it a waste of time. cheers steve

[DAZMC1]

Pretty sure they,re the same unit without the ankle strap. You could probably get onto sharkshield and buy the ankle strap by itself.

[Defore]

I've got the Freedom7 for diving.
The surfboard unit has a longer antenna for more constant immersion in the water.
Freedom7 - 2.2m
Surf - 2.8m
The main control unit looks the same with just a different mounting kit, so I would think it is the same.
Give their main office a call and ask them 08 8241 5005, might just need the pouch as dazmc1 said and if you want to you could probably buy the shorter antenna.
I know the 2.2m antenna can be a pain at times, especially when stopping in a duck diving, it falls between your legs and zaps your family jewels :-[

[finding_time]

Why dont you just run the shark shield of your float?? This will save the zapping issues! ( it does give you a buzz when it gets you!!)

[big_steve001]

thanks for the help guys and finding time thants a good idea but does this mean ill have to shorten the rope to the float then

[finding_time]

No i dont think so , Shark shields work very well and although they say they only have a 6m zone in reality i've seen them many many times chase big sharks away from the area entirely!! They just dont like them! If you put it on the float you'll basically have a " Haven" that you can come back to if you get a problem shark in the area that just wont go away and is getting more and more aggresive!

[Defore]

Why dont you just run the shark shield of your float?? This will save the zapping issues! ( it does give you a buzz when it gets you!!)

I might give that a go when not scuba diving.
Could stop the family jewels from glowing in the dark. ;D

Ian

[1770JOSH]

Strap on courage.. pmsl.

[D river]

1 of my mates straps his to his float and it works a treat but if the thing comes within 5m of me it fries the f*ck out of my teeth and he has the same trouble with his temples so I wont even turn it off or on for him. They do work really well on sharks and the float option is the go but I have also witnessed them spooking unseen fish from holes in the reef and sending them bolting to another plannet so we try to leave it turned off unless we have a bad shark annoying us and this tends to see it left in the boat too often. Great bit of kit though so I'm not being negative about it I just cant use it cause it fries me. Shame too.

[Badone]

Strap on courage.. pmsl.

Couldn't agree more. Ditch the shield and harden up or take up another sport...:P

[kokomo]

they are rubbish IMO

[finding_time]

Why are they rubbish Kokomo?? You dont think they work or they just the " soft option" for the "real man"??

[Nathanrb4]

i think they are great! I've taken to using mine on a rope below my boat when im having trouble with sharks stealing fish when im bottom fishing out on the shoals aswell as for spearing. Works a treat! Can be loosing every fish we hook and then send it down and the problem goes completely!

[Defore]

Couldn't agree more. Ditch the shield and harden up or take up another sport...:P

Silly false bravery comment :P

My sport also includes photographing sharks, no shield or speargun.

I also started diving when there were no buoyancy vest and spare regulator, now a common part of scuba diving. Back then there were lots of so called super heroes who thought it was soft to use these things (my self included) now these things are part of the comfort of the sport.

A healthy respect for your environment is not soft it is smart. Maybe one day you will learn ::)

[finding_time]

Silly false bravery comment :P

My sport also includes photographing sharks, no shield or speargun.

I also started diving when there were no buoyancy vest and spare regulator, now a common part of scuba diving. Back then there were lots of so called super heroes who thought it was soft to use these things (my self included) now these things are part of the comfort of the sport.

A healthy respect for your environment is not soft it is smart. Maybe one day you will learn ::)

Spot on! If you want to use one i reckon it's a very smart idea! My years ago when i did a fair bit of spearing i would have loved to have the option of using a shark shield, it certainly would have been piece of mind for me and definately would have been better for a few sharks that met an untimely end because they were a little to curious! We used one of the first shark shields for deco diving , they were only water resistant to around 20m so it had to remain attached to the deco station during the dive and we were able to use it once we got to the 18m stop, many times i would have loved one of the newer ones that i could keep near for the whole dive! We had a VERY VERY large Tiger( 6+M) buzz us at 85m one day and it was so close that i could have run my finger down it whole body as it pass the first time!:o It was to hang around for 25min till we got to the 18m stop and turned the unit on, i've had plenty of experience with sharks but that was very intimidating!

Ian

Ps i'm suprised more fisho's dont use them as in places like DI when the sharks can be unmanageable they would be very useful!

[Badone]

Well guys why don't we take all the variables out of spearfishing. Lets have 3 metre guns so we can shoot fish from the surface then all the old fat guys can get fish as well, also we can breath up on oxygen before each dive then we will have 3min bottom time, in fact why dont we just power-head all the sharks from our local area then we can just spear to our hearts content without having to give the noahs a thought at all.
U/w photography fair enough but when you are out there as a predator give the fish and the oceans a chance. I have jumped out of the water many times because the sharks were getting a bit angry and most times there have been fish everywhere ( hence the sharks). If I had a shield a would have just flicked the switch and kept spearing.
Shark dramas are part of the beauty and thrill of the sport. You clowns who need a shield to get in the water just want the easy side of spearing without any of the risks.

[Nathanrb4]

Would you wear mozzie replant if you were in a Malaria infested country Badone? Or do you think bee keepers should tend their hives without their smoke and head nets?
Its a safety thing the same as any other if you ask me. I wear a harness when im up a tower at work even though i hear stories from the old guys about how when they were young " we only had ourselves to keep us safe". I wear a seat belt when im driving even though granddad thinks they are against natural selection.
Put it down to us being sooky or taking the thrill outta the sport (i still get a kick outta it) but i'll put it down to not wanting to risk not being around to look after my kids ect.

[cuzzamundi]

I've personally never bothered.

What's the range of these things? A few metres? Fifty metres? 200? Am curious to know...

Cuzza

[big_steve001]

hey guys some very good information everyone has, each to there own i guess. i went for a spear this morning and used the shark shield off my float and it worked a treat. i had 2 encounters from the toothy kind and they within about 10 meters of my float and did the bolt.

cheers steve

[finding_time]

hey guys some very good information everyone has, each to there own i guess. i went for a spear this morning and used the shark shield off my float and it worked a treat. i had 2 encounters from the toothy kind and they within about 10 meters of my float and did the bolt.

cheers steve
\]
Good to hear it worked out for you Steve! If you own it you may as well use it , the world needs it's Rambo's i guess but in the end Darwin theroy will take care of them;) . Yes Badone i'm refering to you and btw i think sharks are a small danger when spearfishing compared to the ever present danger of shallow water blackout!

Ian

[Badone]

Nathan you cannot compare mozzie repellant with a shark shield. If you wander thru the mangroves you will get bitten but if you dive smart you can avoid most shark problems. The fish have little enough chance as it is without making it any easier.
Ian, I think I am about as far from being Rambo as you can get and if you think that is why I think shields are a waste of time then you have completely missed the point. There are a lot of new divers out there who don't give this sport much thought and go and buy all the gear and kill the shit out of anything that swims in front of them in the interests of getting a feed. They get rushed by a shark and are in the shop the next day spending $600 on a shark shield. Better they take the time to get to know how sharks behave and when it is maybe a good time to call it a day rather than just flicking a switch and continuing on their own merry way. I have two kids who both spear and hopefully they will learn to respect the dangers of the sea rather than just spending some money so they don't have to deal with them.
I do agree that SWB is far more dangerous to young and inexperienced divers and once again can be avoided if people are taught to dive correctly.
Your darwin Theory is taking its time to work on me btw, I started spearing when I was 12 and will turn 50 next year.... Simon.

[Defore]

Badone maybe you should take the variables back one further and get rid of the speargun and only use a handspear like we use to use when I first started. ::)

I never did say I used the shark shield while spearfishing. I have not actually been spearfishing for many years, but I might get back into it one day and I probably would use it now. (I like the idea of hanging it off the float)
My old hunting grounds was at the tip of the York Peninsula in South Australia, White Pointer country. Back then at the age of 15y I actually got dragged backwards in the water by a shark grabbing the fish hanging off the float. This was also the first time we had ever used a float to hold the fish, normally we would just tie them off our dive belts and drop them back off on the rocks when we had a few.
After that we always used a float.

I don't care if you use a shark shield or not, your choice, but it p*sses me off when some one will bag someone else for trying to feel safer in the water.
I believe everyone should enjoy diving and will highly recommend any product which makes that person feel safer.

I have dived in some very questionable waters, but not because I wanted to brag that I was a hero, but because there were things there that I wanted (scallops, abalone, crayfish) in water with the visibility so low you had to feels along the bottom to find what you wanted. This was in waters where a 5m white pointer had been sighted three weeks earlier, we just weighed up the chances and went for the dive, did we feel safe, shit no, but we still went.
Today I would use the shark shield in this situation, but even then I would still be shitting myself incase the shark had not read how it was suppose to be scared of the shield.

I do not believe a shark shield would make spearfishing any easier, it still takes a lot of skill and deep diving ability to get that great fish, but I do believe it makes it safer.
It is the shark that is not seen, the one that swims up from behind that is the biggest danger. This is the one that has began to stalk you while you are swimming happily along. Luckily these sharks are far and few between.
The ones that come in from the front can be hit with the spear, or in my case the camera.

Ian

[Badone]

Hey Defore, that is my point exactly. If you are willing to scratch around in low vis in white country then that is your choice and hopefully you were rewarded with a good feed of crays and abs. If we all had shark shields then every man and his dog would be in there with you and it wouldn't be long before your feed of crays would become very rare... is this what you want?? I somehow don't think so.
I would never bag someone for trying to be safe but I draw the line at using expensive equipment as a substitute for a lack of knowledge or as a means to get a load of fish when ordinarily they would be put out of the water by the sharks. Some days you just have to pack up and go home without a feed because the sharks/ocean have a win. That is the way of spearing...We had to move 3 weeks ago at Brennans when a biggish curious white showed up for a look.
I do agree with you that the shark that gets you will be unseen. That is why I try to dive in sharky areas only when the viz is good. I have aborted many Fraser/ DI spearing trips because the water was too green and we knew the Bullies were thick. $200 in fuel for no fish but you win some and you lose some.
I also spent 3 yrs in SA catching crays/ abs and Kingies off Cape Jarvis/ Victor Harbour. Was interesting diving.
I have also heard that the shields have a very limited effect on Whites and large Tigers btw so maybe they just lull you into a false sense of safety.. Nice shot as well.. the colors look good.

[devocean]

When you have a 4 metre tiger shark coming at you - anything is worth a try

[finding_time]

I have also heard that the shields have a very limited effect on Whites and large Tigers btw so maybe they just lull you into a false sense of safety.. Nice shot as well.. the colors look good.


Not true!

In the episode i detailed earlier the Tiger departed the area instantly the device was turned on, and as far as Whites go they work well enough on burlyed in sharks and even when the shield is deployed at the last second the White will turn away from the bait ! They did notice that once the shark had the bait in it mouth turning on the shield was ineffective so i guess the lesson is if you have one leave it on! A mate of mine was a pro ab diver and swore by his , he has never seen a white whilst his unit was on , yet this was a monthly event before he started using the units. They work well on all sharks but do have down sides and the boot they can give you is one!

Ian

[Defore]

Hey Defore, that is my point exactly. If you are willing to scratch around in low vis in white country then that is your choice and hopefully you were rewarded with a good feed of crays and abs. If we all had shark shields then every man and his dog would be in there with you and it wouldn't be long before your feed of crays would become very rare... is this what you want?? I somehow don't think so.

I wouldn't be worried if every man and his dog would be in there. There were still strong current, surges and low vis.
I would be more upset if someone had been attacked by a shark.
People are going to strip an area whether they have a shark shield or not, it is the person not the device.
But people are turned off diving by others who tell them they are weak if they wore a shield.
I know some people who have an unnatural fear of sharks and will not go deeper than their waist (don't have the heart to tell them people have been bitten by sharks in knee deep water), this is not just spearfishing but even just snorkeling.
If a shield gets them to enjoy diving then I am all for it.

In a previous thread you told me to harden up, but as you can now see I have already been there, done that and some times go chasing sharks.

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?p=1178440#post1178440

I didn't worry about it (I have nothing to prove to anyone) but here someone was asking a simple question about a shark shield and you and 1770Josh came in with the harden up mentality which was not called for.
If you don't want to wear a shield that is fine, I'm not going to think you are an idiot for placing yourself into unnecessary danger, is it possible for you not to think someone is not tough enough because they do want to wear one.
If not, is it possible for you not to attack them in a thread where they ask for assistance with one?
I hate to see when someone is turned off from the pleasures of diving.
(Have now stepped off my soap box)


I have also heard that the shields have a very limited effect on Whites and large Tigers btw so maybe they just lull you into a false sense of safety.. Nice shot as well.. the colors look good.The jury is still out on this one.
It appears questionable if a shark shield would stop one of these sharks in full attack mode, if the shield had only been turned on once the shark attacked.
They seem certain the shark would not begin the attack if the shield was already on. BUT I am not planning to test this. ;)

I have seen sharks in a feeding frenzy, they are totally mental and require a slow retreat while keeping an eye on as many as possible and not letting them get behind you.

Another diver is always advisable (preferably a slower swimmer) ;D

Ian

[nigelr]

Some great points made by both sides in this excellent debate!
I guess if you want to use one, do so, if not don't. Who gives a #$%^ what anyone else thinks.
Personally I like the idea of the taxman ruling the reef, ie when the anxiety level gets too high exit the water. But then if someone gave me one, I could find a use for it. And it wouldn't change my very conservative fish-taking habits. But I am an old man, and a bit fat, and I don't kill fish to inflate my ego or for the 'fun' of it.
In a bluewater scenario, the possibility of 'the one you don't see' is amplified.
I have only seen a few shark frenzies, and thankfully from safe vantage spots.
Those suckers are so unbelievably fast and powerful when in kill mode, I don't think even a shield would stop them.
Cheers.

[Badone]

If anyone is offended by being told to harden up then what can I do.
My point (made badly perhaps) was that substituting technology for hard learned common sense and sea-wise knowledge is not right and is the easy way out and not, imo, the way people should approach this sport. Spearfishing is inherently dangerous and the challenge is to dive within our limits and respect these dangers. Spending money on a shark shield because you don't want to lean how to avoid/ survive a shark encounter goes against everything that I believe this sport is about. Throw your shield away Steve and learn to dive within the limits of the ocean and all that are in it.
The day I think about strapping on a battery and flicking a switch before I hop in the water is the day I take up x-box as my new sport.;)

[Horse]

Badone

What are your gun and fins worth? Is it OK to spend nearly $1200.00 on a gun or $400-$800 on a pair of fins to give you a bit of an advantage when $600 to make your sport safer and more enjoyable is not fair on the fish:-?. I think the risk factor of sharks is greater for new and inexperienced divers and the learning curve you describe could be fatal for someone.

Do you wear a wet suit in winter? I suggest you dump it and "and learn to dive within the limits of the ocean".

I respect your personal choice to shun the device but please don't denigrate others for their choice in the matter. I for one think they are a great bit of kit and would seriously consider one if I was to get back into the sport.

[DAZMC1]

Badone

What are your gun and fins worth? Is it OK to spend nearly $1200.00 on a gun or $400-$800 on a pair of fins to give you a bit of an advantage when $600 to make your sport safer and more enjoyable is not fair on the fish:-?. I think the risk factor of sharks is greater for new and inexperienced divers and the learning curve you describe could be fatal for someone.

Do you wear a wet suit in winter? I suggest you dump it and "and learn to dive within the limits of the ocean".

I respect your personal choice to shun the device but please don't denigrate others for their choice in the matter. I for one think they are a great bit of kit and would seriously consider one if I was to get back into the sport.
Well said. Iv,e been spearing for 25 years and I,m not too tough to wear a shield although mine spends most of its time inside the boat because it hurts when it boots me. I guess I should do what Badone says and harden the f### up. Maybe thats why he doesn,t want to wear one aswell. I will tell you now that they work but they really piss sea snakes off when they try to wrap around them.

[Badone]

Horse, let us remain in the realm of reality shall we. It is impossible to spear without a gun/fins and a suit in winter. If you want to compare apples with apples then I would say wearing a shield because you are worried about sharks is the same as putting on a tank because you are worried about SWB. It gives you an unfair advantage. It wasn't all that long ago that spearing on scuba was legal ( it still is in WA) but if I was caught doing it now I can only imagine the cries of "thats cheating" that would fly from the shield wearing lobby. How about I buy an electric scooter so I can cover more country and kill even more fish... then i wont have to worry about getting stuck in a current and being washed away from the boat;) Where does it all end guys ??

[D river]

Holy sh#t touchy subject ey, love it. I support both sides of the coin, I'm not guna buy 1 cause they zap me when ever I'm near them and would rather spend the money on better fins or another new gun. 2 years ago while out on the reef on a deep drop off I was 10m down untangling a big trout from the reef when from behind something pushed hard into the reef edge, I looked around and was staring a 5m Tiger (not exagerating 2 witness's) in the face, as brave as I could (nearly died of heart failure) I took off for the surface in total fear. my quick movement actually scared the sh*t out of the shark as much as he scared me. So here I was on a reef edge that was 40m deep gun still tangled 10m down and this shark came back for another look, This time I was able to remain calm as it had not surprised me and it just swam away slowly and we didnt see it again. The shark shield was not needed but I def wouldn't have a prob with 1 being there to stop that happening in the 1st place. The big tigers up this way dont actually scare me but all the dumb ass bull sharks do them things do random stupid stuff like bite floats and fins for no reason at all and get very agressive when we have fish and get more agressive when poked in the nose with a spear.I can totally see why people would want 1 but I'm not guna buy 1 they are not needed with knoledge your safe. If I was ab diving there'd be no question it'd be as important as a mask or wetsuit as your mind is elswhere. Would love 1 to hang under the boat to keep them off my reds when line fishing though.

[Defore]

I will tell you now that they work but they really piss sea snakes off when they try to wrap around them.

The last thing I would want to do is upset a sea snake, I would crawl over a shark to put it between a pissed off sea snake and me. ;D

I know of a guy who upset a sea snake and shot a spear into the bottom of a dive boat trying to shoot it. He ended up climbing into the dingy being towed behind the boat and as he swamped the dingy the snake got dragged in as well. ;D
Both diver and snake survived without any injuries, but the owner of the boat was really pissed.


Horse, let us remain in the realm of reality shall we. It is impossible to spear without a gun/fins and a suit in winter.

Badone maybe you should Harden up. :P

For 4 years we use to dive summer or winter without a wetsuit (they were too expensive for us to buy back then).
In winter we would spear for 30 to 45 minutes and then get out to warm up before getting back in again.
This was in South Australian waters that make the water up here feel like a spa even during winter.
This is exactly the same argument you have for the shield, only a lot more effective, it did not rely on a shark showing up. :)
I would not even suggest someone should not wear a wetsuit, it makes the diving more enjoyable. The same way the shield makes the diver feel a bit safer.
I agree that divers should learn sea-wise knowledge, but I don't think a shield is stopping this from happening. It might actually help by lessening the fear of sharks in some people and allow them to see how a shark really behaves, not like an eating machine there to eat divers.
With experience the diver may even decide to leave the shield in the boat and enjoy watching sharks up close, or at least leave the shield with the float so they can retreat to it if needed.
I am not saying every one should go out and buy a shark shield, to be honest it is not really needed for most of the dives. The chance of a serious shark incident is really low even when spearing.
Some divers have this macho mentality and will criticize others. When I hear some of these guys, especially on charter boats, it makes me laugh. I think how we first went diving and would make these guys look like wusses. We didn't dive like that because we wanted to be heroes, we just had no choice and done it anyway.
I believe diving should be as enjoyable as possible.
To some a shark shield adds to the comfort of the dive, just like a wetsuit and I don't think anyone should criticize someone for wanting to use either.


The big tigers up this way dont actually scare me but all the dumb ass bull sharks do them things do random stupid stuff like bite floats and fins for no reason at all and get very agressive when we have fish and get more agressive

I've had a couple of encounters with tigers, the only thing that upset me was I couldn't get close enough to photograph them. They can get very timid sometimes when you swim towards them, but they can also turn quite nasty.
Coming face to face with one unexpectedly I would have soiled my wetsuit. :o

I don't like bull sharks, they are unpredictable and like to come up from behind. This is where I wear a shark shield, don't want them sneaking up on me when the visibility is low. Don't need distraction while concentrating on photographing fish.
Not scared of being eaten, but even an exploratory bite would hurt like hell. :-?

Ian

[Badone]

Defore I agree, I DO need to harden up (not as much as some others though) but that is a new topic altogether. Arguing that diving with a wetsuit is the same as diving with a shield just doesn't make sense. Fair enough if you want to swim around in the shallows and shoot bream or red mowies but try diving any deeper than 20m when you are freezing your arse off. It is impossible, not hard but impossible as your breath hold ability reduces to just about zero when you are cold. A wetsuit is essential to diving well, a shark shield nothing but a luxury.
To change the subject, did you know Greg Pickering from SA? One of this country's best divers. He has dived that part of the coast for the last 30 yrs and still going well.

[Defore]

Badone still can not see the difference. Your argument is the shield allows a diver to stay in the water with sharks around (I don't think I would stay in the water) and continue to kill fish, not giving the fish a sporting chance.
Wetsuits were designed to allow a diver to go deeper and remain in the water longer.
"It is impossible, not hard but impossible as your breath hold ability reduces to just about zero when you are cold"
I have known some guys who can do remarkable depths in very cold water without wetsuits, so if you can not do that then maybe it gives the fish a fighting chance.
You would have to wait till the water warms up. ;D

Is it possible that the development of the wetsuit has contributed to the demise of fish stocks in some areas. With divers now spearing fish all year round instead of only during the warmer months?


Well guys why don't we take all the variables out of spearfishing. Lets have 3 metre guns so we can shoot fish from the surface then all the old fat guys can get fish as well, also we can breath up on oxygen before each dive then we will have 3min bottom time, in fact why dont we just power-head all the sharks from our local area then we can just spear to our hearts content without having to give the noahs a thought at all.


I have also seen some guys use a small oxygen bottle, but it didn't really seem to give them much of an advantage. They were probably just shit divers anyway. ;)

On the subject of power-heads, I had a mate who actually did try and clear the are of sharks. What we saw was that the rotting carcass of a shark seemed to have the effect of keeping sharks away, but a freshly killed shark would attract other sharks that were in the area.
I had a power-head (357 magnum) when they became cheaper. Carried it for 3 years and never used it. The problem with powerheads (besides killing innocent sharks) is you would never get a chance to use it against an attacking shark, unless it was already attached to the speargun.

"did you know Greg Pickering from SA" I have heard of a Pickering, but have never met him. I think he had something to do with the Scuba club we were associated to.

Ian

[sagair]

I wonder if the sucker works on crocs, anyone know? When I lived on Moa Island [Torres Strait] it was not that unusual to swim over a croc lying on the bottom especially on the northern end of St Pauls. One decent lizard used to sun himself regularly on Burruga in front of the IBIS Store. An Islander who off sided for me had names for them all as he speared crays there every few days. He could recognise them by sight.

[boney-leg]

I wonder if the sucker works on crocs

Only if it was actually eating the unit I'd think :-X

[sagair]

ROTFLMAO, cheers

[Defore]

sagair I don't think it would be that effective on crocs, it doesn't work on wobbegong sharks and rays.
They have their electrical sensors on the bottom.
I have had the antenna sitting 10cm next to a wobby's tail and even though the tail was twitching at the same time to the units pulse, the wobby just lay there happily.
When the antenna dropped over the back of the wobby it took off real quick and then rubbed upside down on the sand like it was trying to rub off a parasite, then it lay down on the sand again.

If you were to swim over a croc and the antenna was to brush against it I think the croc would not be too happy :o

Like boney-leg said. it might be different if the croc tried to eat it, I'm not game enough to give it a try. I might be an idiot, but I am not crazy. ;D

Ian

[1770JOSH]

One bloke started this post by ASKING FOR OPINIONS on wether or not a shark shield for surfing was viable for spearing. Now your all arguing over who's opinion is worth more and who is allowed to voice their opinion based on what it stands for. this is rediculous.
I gave mine short and sweet. if u dont value it then take it with a grain of salt. no harm done to anybody.
think a few ppl here really need to either go for a dive or have a good root.
ease the tension boys.
josh.

[Nicko_Cairns]

Why dont you just run the shark shield of your float?? This will save the zapping issues! ( it does give you a buzz when it gets you!!)

as then your float will be protected from sharks and you won't be :o the units work a radius of around 3-4m. wouldn't dive without one anymore, fantastic.

[sagair]

sagair I don't think it would be that effective on crocs, it doesn't work on wobbegong sharks and rays.
They have their electrical sensors on the bottom.
I have had the antenna sitting 10cm next to a wobby's tail and even though the tail was twitching at the same time to the units pulse, the wobby just lay there happily.
When the antenna dropped over the back of the wobby it took off real quick and then rubbed upside down on the sand like it was trying to rub off a parasite, then it lay down on the sand again.

If you were to swim over a croc and the antenna was to brush against it I think the croc would not be too happy :o

Like boney-leg said. it might be different if the croc tried to eat it, I'm not game enough to give it a try. I might be an idiot, but I am not crazy. ;D

Ian
Cheers Mate,8-) Yes, the only thing that frightens a croc is a bigger croc or a rifle shot. After diving on the north east corner with my mate I discussed it with my Islander Uncle and asked if croc's display any body language before an attack. [ Like whaler sharks do etc]. Typical Island humour reply I got was, " Only fella that subie that already kaikai":o
Moa Island Cray below.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y94/redhsv/Scan10145.jpg

[finding_time]

Nicko

not true mate! As i explained earlier, we used one that was attached to a deco station for when we had real long blue water decompression to do! The unit was never left on but in the event that something big turned up we would turn the shark shield on till it would leave then swich the unit back off again! I have seen the unit work on a very large tiger, a overly inquisitive 4m oceanic white tip and a large threasher all sharks left the area immediately the unit was swiched on , none of the sharks was within 25m of the deco station when it was turned on yet left immediately. It may only be advertised to work over a small range but i can assure you even at a fair distance shaks find the sensation very annoying and leave. The idea to have it attached to the float is that once a the sharks behavior gets to annoying you have somewhere to go that has a relative safety! I used to spear abit and particularly on the reef the first shark turns up fairly quickly then a second then a third but at some point things just change and there behavior gets agitated now this is when i used to head to the boat but at times it would have been much nicer just to have had to swim the 35m back to my float!

[nigelr]

Sagair, now THAT is a cray!!!!!]
If it doesn't work on wobbies I wouldn't use one on the reef, personally I reckon they are the biggest menace they are pr#%ks of things and the big ones would easily drown you.
Finding time that is a great scenario for their usage in a bluewater situation.
Josh, 'good root' - please explain.......:-X ;D

[Dezzer]

I don't know anything about shark shields so this may be a stupid question, why does this thingo repel sharks but not the target fish?

Post-edit : OK, just read Ian's bit about electrical sensors. Do fin fish have no such thing or are sharks just more sensitive to electrical pulses?

[Defore]

Dezzer sharks have great electrical sensitivity and use it in the final part of an attack. The shark shield is designed to upset this sensitivity, making it uncomfortable for the shark.
I've had fish sitting right next to the antenna and not even seem to care. If you place your hand a few inches away from the antenna you do not even feel anything, touching it is a different sensation, it is like touching an electric fence.

From Wikipedia :-
The Ampullae of Lorenziniare the electroreceptor organs. They number in the hundreds to thousands. Sharks use the Ampullae of Lorenzini to detect the electromagnetic fields that all living things produce. This helps sharks (particularly the hammerhead shark ) find prey. The shark has the greatest electrical sensitivity of any animal. Sharks find prey hidden in sand by detecting the electric fields they produce.

Ian

[D river]

I have seen fish spooked by shark shields, They come flying out of holes where we did not see them n they take right off no looking back but most of the time this is not the case. A mate of mine has a freedom 7 and puts it on his float as he cant wear it hurts his temples bad and if I go within a couple of meters of it the nerves in my teeth light up real bad. but others wear them no prob. On the float works fine for us

[1770JOSH]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSWb0w5DxnU

interesting tests.

[Defore]

That's a good video.
Still proves you are nuts to stick around when sharks get into a feeding frenzy.
My brother got chase into shallow water by a black tip. He had been watching black tips in a feeding frenzie when one broke off from the others and started zig zagging towards him. He swam backwards right up onto the top of the coral bommie. Only when it was too shallow for the shark did it leave the area. My brother signaled to the dive boat to send over the dingy to pick him off the coral. ;D
He carried the nickname "Shark Lure" for the rest of the trip.

Ian