Shark Eyes Visual Deterrent
Surfers are superstitious. Or ornery, or ignorant. Either way we all know that sharks live in the ocean. They are not out there to attack humans but it is our belief that investigatory bites happen. And for some, any type of shark deterrent is worth a try. We'd like to bring Shark Eyes visual deterrent to mind for those.
Shark Eyes are stickers that mimic human eye contact with a shark. They are designed to use on nearly any surf or dive gear; "the waterman's shark deterrent." Founder/big tube hellman/abalone diver/West Oz Loc, Shanan Warrall, tried and tested his theory for years painting eyes on his wetsuit and dive tanks before finally producing the easy to apply stickers. His theory is derived from mimicry found in nature. Birds, butterflies, fish, and cats all have adapted mimicry into their appearances. Because shark's predatory tactics use the element of surprise on their prey, Shark Eyes stickers deter attacks by mimicking visual eye contact. Because sharks attack vertically from beneath the surface, you will want the stickers on the bottom of your board.
Similar methods have been used by Indians in the jungles with masks on the back of their heads preventing tiger attacks from behind.
There have been magnetic bands and leashes on the market but we believe the visual deterrent to be the most effective as it is rooted in techniques found in the natural world. Another surfer method is painting black and white stripes on the bottom of your board. Great whites are supposedly confused by these two colors not being able to focus on exact shape (if they indeed see in black and white which is not proven). Scientific evidence is not proven for the colors but the theory is that seals or their other prey are solid colors and stripes confuse the shark. Something interesting to note is that Mick Fanning's board that he got attacked on during the JBay comp in 2015 was yellow. Now all of his boards are sprayed more neutral colors if not blank white. Some colors allure sharks more than others but nothing is scientifically proven as of yet.
These shark eye stickers are safety from the superstitions for those who adhere to shark fear culture. Some surfers don't care and follow the 50/50, ignorance is bliss theory. If you get attacked, well you got attacked, and you were in the ocean, where sharks live.
