Lighting up your surfboard helps reduce the risk of white shark attacks, according to Australian researchers

Light strips installed underwater would distort the silhouette of the board, which would be less likely to be confused with a seal.

A bright idea that could save lives. Equipping your surfboard with bright lights could prevent shark attacks, according to a study published Monday, November 11 in the journal Current Biology. Along with several scientists, biologist Laura Ryan of Australia's Macquarie University was able to demonstrate that boards covered with bright LED strips underwater were less likely to be targeted by great white sharks, which often attack their prey from below, sometimes confusing the silhouette of a surfer with that of a seal.

Tests were carried out in the waters of Mossel Bay, in South Africa, an area very popular with great white sharks. The scientists used seal-shaped decoys, configured with different LEDs. The brightest lights deterred sharks the most, while vertical lights were less effective than horizontal stripes. According to the researchers, the lights distort the silhouette of the board on the ocean surface, making it less appetizing.

The results are more promising than expected, according to Laura Ryan, who now plans to build prototypes that can be used under kayaks or surfboards. They could enable less invasive protection methods than the devices used in Australia to monitor sharks, including drones, anti-shark nets and a marking system that alerts authorities when a shark is near a shark. a busy beach.

However, further research is needed to find out whether other types of sharks respond in the same way to lights, according to the study authors. Since 1791, more than 1,200 shark attacks have occurred in Australia, 255 of which resulted in death. The great white shark was responsible for 94 of these deaths.