LED Lights Can Deter Shark Bites
Australian researchers believe that LED lights can deter shark bites. They conducted a study in Mossel Bay, South Africa, to determine if this theory would work. The experiment involved a seal-shaped board decoy with different lights attached to the bottom. The faux seals were then attached to a boat and thrown overboard to see which ones would attract sharks.
The researchers from Macquarie University in New South Wales believe that the light from the decoys distorts the object’s appearance. This also limits the ability of the great white sharks to see against the sunlight. Adding LED lights to the bottom of surfboards and other water objects can help deter and prevent unprovoked shark attacks. These LED lights would be a better and safer option than nets.
Lead researcher Laura Ryan said great white sharks are responsible for most shark bite fatalities. Since they are color blind they can mistake things like surfboards as an outline of a seal. She says, “They are really good at detecting a silhouette,” which is why they attach surfboards. With their research, they hope to see if this simple LED light solution can deter not just great whites but also bull and tiger sharks. Since sharks are blind to color, the LED lights would make the object not seem like food.
Testing LED lights
Dr. Ray and her team spent months over six years testing her theory. She chose South Africa since it is known to be a hot spot for great white sharks. Her team used foam decoys with different LED lights and different patterns.
While LED lights were effective in deterring sharks it would not be practical to use too many on a surfboard. After many different options and patterns, they determined that horizontal lines of LED lights were most effective. Professor Hart said, “It’s like an invisibility cloak but with the exception that we are splitting the object, the visual silhouette, into smaller bits.” He goes on to say that the lights have to be in a certain pattern and brightness in order to work.
So will the these lights work on surfboards and kayaks? This is something Dr Ray and her team wanted to try but the South African authorities did not allow it. They did not want the experiment to put surfers in danger. They will be doing more research now using surfboards to determine if the horizontal LED lights can deter sharks bites. The researchers want to be certain this would work before having surfers utilize the lights.
