As is well known sharks and other predators of the sea use directional electromagnetic sensitivity to evaluate prey. This is a very powerful sense functions effectively only at short range and is used to evaluate the type size and orientation of prey as well as guiding the final lunge. I propose that a very fine array of wires be installed in wesuits to decoy this sense. It is already known that weak decoy signals can cause a shark to call of a lunge or lunge in the wrong location missing entirely. Constructing a false, possibly fluctuating, EMR signature into suits could make a diver appear inedibly large or otherwise not worth fooling with without making the diver more detectable from a distance. A small battery pack would be adequate to power the unit. In addition a panic pad that suddenly amplified the output could be provided to deter a shark attracted by blood. A similar system could be installed on the underside of surfboards to deter curiosity. I suspect that resembling a huge manofwar or other inedible would suffice.-- WcW, Sep 15 2008 Electric field shark repellent wet suit patent http://www.freepate...ne.com/7233829.html [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Sep 15 2008] fascinating http://www.physorg.com/news10587.html [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Sep 16 2008] Looks like it's worth a try. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24484864/ [2 fries shy of a happy meal, Sep 16 2008] Occasionally your buddy or other people on the boat get shocked if you neglect to turn it off http://www.diveus.c...m-7-scuba-model.htm [normzone, Sep 19 2008] but does it work?-- WcW, Sep 16 2008 <shrugs> Give me a sec.-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Sep 16 2008 It's a definite maybe. [link]age-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Sep 16 2008 i can't find more than cursory references to this being baked. Is it possible that while in theory this is baked but not in application?-- WcW, Sep 17 2008 "Constructing a false, possibly fluctuating, EMR signature into suits could make a diver appear inedibly large..."
Like an enormous, tempting, extremely edible school of fish, for instance?-- sambwiches, Sep 17 2008 or a huge Fugu or another shark or something, is there a marine biologist in the house? Identifying something that a shark wouldn't take a nip at may be the real problem here....-- WcW, Sep 18 2008 Dolphins apparently kick f*** out of sharks. Does that mean feasibly sharks have evolved to avoid sonar signals ?
You could send out a load of 'hunt-and-destroy' dolphiny sonar clicks ? (simulating like a pod of 400 or something?).-- monojohnny, Sep 18 2008 I've been fishwatching on scuba before and had everything on the reef duck and cover simultaneously. Gives me the heebie-jeebies, it does.-- normzone, Sep 19 2008 random, halfbakery