Shark repellent wetsuit in development

Published on 21/09/2012 00:00

Researchers in Australia are developing a wetsuit that they believe will repel sharks.

The team from the University of Western Australia in Perth has found that sharks are probably colour blind. They say the animals see colours in shades of grey, the same way as humans watch a black-and-white film.

Professor Shaun Collin is using this information to create a wetsuit that would make surfers look unappealing to sharks.

“Poisonous if you like, or unattractive to the shark, somewhat like a sea snake,” he said. “To design a wetsuit that is not attractive to sharks, [they are] using a model which takes into account the different light levels that sharks move through and different seasons of the year and different times of the day.”

Professor Collin said he hopes to develop a prototype by next year.

Western Australia has seen a spike in the number of shark attacks over the past year.