Shark Proof Wetsuit In Development
Like me, you probably grew up watching images of Valerie Taylor dressing up in a chain mail wetsuit and then proceed to have small shark cone and bite her on the arm whilst wearing it.
Valerie - along with her late husband Ron - also famously shot the live shark footage in Jaws and Jaws 2.
And now a wetsuit is being developed not just to withstand shark bites, but the bites of great white sharks.
Valerie Taylor testing chainmail against shark teeth
We know that shark attacks on humans are often a case of mistaken identity and that sharks like to test their prey with an exploratory bite, of course to a human that taste test can leave to gaping fatal wounds through blood-loss alone. This new wetsuit hopes to lessen those wounds and help prevent as much loss of blood, and with it less loss of life.
The study, by Flinders University in Australia, tested two types of protective fabrics incorporating ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibres (UHMWPE) onto the standard neoprene material used in wetsuits.
Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibres are considered by many to be the world’s strongest fibre.
The material being tested in the wild with the help of a Great White shark
Tests were conducted using the bite force of great whites (replicated in lab conditions) as these are the species recognised as attacking more humans than any other shark. Although productive, further tests will need to be made on the fabric - which so far has shown less tearing and were more resistant to punctures.
Of course the lab is very different to the ocean, and the actual bite of a shark onto the material protecting human flesh.
For now, it’s still safest to stay inside the cage, but anything that helps protect swimmers, divers or surfers and - in turn - the reputation of sharks can only be a positive.
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