Posted on 04/20/2021 9:58:05 AM PDT by Capt. Tom
Cape Cod groups are looking to test out electronic shark deterrent technology this summer, including a nonprofit that is hoping to roll out a protective “virtual shark net.”
Cape Cod Ocean Community Inc. — a nonprofit that formed after a man was killed by a shark in Cape waters three years ago — is working on shark surveillance testing projects this summer.
“We’ve been thinking about shark barriers since Day One, ever since Arthur Medici died,” said Heather Doyle, a co-founder of the nonprofit organization.
Ahead of this summer, which promises to be full of shark sightings as the great whites return to the Cape, Doyle said the group is looking at testing out shark deterrent technology — including a protective “virtual shark net” from the Australia-based company Ocean Guardian.
While Ocean Guardian’s personal shark deterrent devices have been rising in popularity along the Cape, the nonprofit is instead eyeing the company’s long-range shark deterrent system called the BOAT01. The device with a buoy can float out behind a boat and create a safe swimming area, according to the company.
Users can daisy-chain up to four devices to create a larger swimming zone.
“We’re very aggressively thinking about how many we can get to try out the daisy chain, and test it out for ourselves,” Doyle said.
“We do have some places on private property where we know we can roll it out and use drones for validation,” she added, noting that they’re big advocates for using drones to spot sharks close to shore.
Doyle stressed that the group is “trying to break glass and move the needle” on the Cape.
“We want to move from the unknown to the known,” she said. “We should be trying things, we shouldn’t be doing nothing. We’re on borrowed time for another Arthur Medici.”
Ocean Guardian also has an even larger-scale barrier system to create a shark-free zone at private resort beaches, and in designated diving and snorkeling locations.
An Ocean Guardian representative said there are “interested parties on the Cape hoping to run their own trial of our technology.”
“Our technology has always been very successful in trials,” added Amanda Wilson of Ocean Guardian. “It’s been conclusively proven that our technology is successful in stopping great white sharks.”
In a South Africa study for the company’s shark barrier tech, white sharks in the area moved away from the system and remained out of view until the system was switched off. Then when the system was turned off, the white sharks returned.
Of course the whales may try to mate with her.
Sharks are attracted to blood. Ban women on that part of the cycle from getting in the water.
Tom......what’s the problem? Seals and sharks in their natural habitat doing what seals and sharks do. Someone wants to go swimming, that’s on them.
If the water off the beach is filled with Jaws, the. It’s probably not advisable.
Shame about 500 members of Congress don’t make a trip to Cale Cod and its beautiful beaches to enjoy the refreshing Atlantic Ocean
Probably as worthless as deer whistles for cars.
I can remember about 25 years ago scuba divers and snorkelers they had pods attached to their flippers to ward of sharks.
It didn't work then as advertised. The shark pods went out of vogue.
Maybe today there has been some improvement ?
Would you like to try these new version pods out down the Cape this summer?
There should be no shortage of white sharks to test the pods on. - Tom
I'm at Brewster this year on the Bay side, hopefully fewer sharks
Need the picture of jaws biting the high voltage power line from Jaws 2.
These sharks are a danger and will hurt the cape's already crushed economy. They should cull the sharks and not give it a second thought. But we are so screwed up as a society that we embrace flagrant stupidity like this virtual shark net instead.
As long as the seals and sharks are protected by the Federal Government, this will remain an unsolvable problem.
But grasping at straws and seeking unique solutions is something we do all the time.
The easy solution is stay out of the ocean , if you are concerned about sharks.
But that won’t help the Cape’s economy will it? - Tom
How would we truly know if this company’s “shark deterrent” technology is for real or not?
We can’t because human contact with big white sharks is minimal so you can’t adequately test the device.
Here’s a USA Today story that says only one person a year in the US is killed by sharks in a year.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/07/11/sharks-humans-no-fair-fight/775409002/
Be there are hints the company is hedging and probably out to make a fast buck. I cite three indicators from their website:
1. They say the technology is “patented” but don’t mention which country it’s patented in — no references.
2. Their slogan is “Nothing is more effective”, which, interestingly, would be true even if NO solution (including theirs) is truly proven to work.
3. Their website is long on publicity videos and short on research data and explanations.
So it’s group of Aussies out to make a dishonest buck by scaring the public into mandating the government pay for their bloody electronic gadgets.
I was born and raised on the Cape. I remember when my cousin there tried to create a market for a Cape Cod sun tanning lotion. He had the great publicity stunt to load a couple gallons of the sun tanning oil in a back pack and used a spray nozzle so he could walk the beach and give people a spray of the oil to try out.
It was a novel marketing idea. I even heard it was a great way to meet girls at the beach. But the product went nowhere.
So I recommend a Cape entrepreneur modify his idea by including shark repellent oil in the lotion. One dollar a spray sounds like good insurance against getting a shark bite.
Shark repellent, sun tanning oil, electronic gadgets, and vaccinated people still wearing Covid19 masks. One way or another, politicians and crooked salesmen are still making money from snake oil.
A whale of a tale.
Captain, I believe we need a bigger boat!
Frankly, sharks are the least feared of predators
on this planet. We’ve never met face to face; with or without mask.
Ha! You mean a diver’s mask! Clever one there, V K. All the best.
So...if the product makes them feel safer...:) I have always found the concept of shark repellent to be an interesting one.
"...So we formed ourselves into tight groups. You know it's... kinda like `ol squares in battle like a, you see on a calendar, like the battle of Waterloo. And the idea was, the shark neared a man and then he'd start poundin' and hollerin' and screamin' toss some of that stinking, useless shark repellent into the water and sometimes the shark would go away and everyone would feel better. Sometimes he wouldn't go away..."
We can’t because human contact with big white sharks is minimal so you can’t adequately test the device.
The Easterly side of of Cape Cod has changed that in recent years.
That might have been true years ago but now on a daily basis during the summer, in the towns of Truro-Wellfleet-Orleans there are DAILY, many white sharks close to the beaches.
Spotter pilot Wayne Davis has no problem putting the tagging boat on White sharks close to the beaches for tagging.
If they were serious about testing the pods they could use A spotter plane and easily drag the pods near about 5-10 sharks per day down on those beaches to get a close up reaction of the sharks to the pods. - Tom
Lawyers are safe....Professional Courtesy.
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