By Gustav Thiel and Janette Neuwahl
Surfers have a choice of shark repellent devices they can use, but experts believe only the Shark Shield developed in South African can adequately protect them against an attack.
The question of shark repellents has been much discussed by surfers in Cape Town since a Great White attacked surfer John Paul "JP" Andrew, 16, off Muizenberg on Monday.
Andrew's right leg was bitten off above the knee and the teenager remains in a critical condition in the Constantiaberg Medi-Clinic.
'The shield is used very successfully by divers' The Natal Sharks Board began developing the Shark Shield in 1971, according to one of its researchers, Paul van Blerk.
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The device was originally called the Shark Pod.
"The only differences between the Shark Pod and today's version are the size and the packaging," Van Blerk said.
He said the Shark Shield was an electronic device that sent a "dissipated electronic signal between a negative and positive pole - it is not a constant, but a dynamic, signal".
In the 1990s, the Natal Sharks Board sold the commercial rights to the repellent to Australian company Sea Change.
In March 2003, Australian diver Paul Buckland was killed by a Great White in South Australia while wearing a Shark Pod.
At the time, Sea Change's commercial manager, Helena Wescombe-Downs, said if sharks were extremely hungry and in a "frenzied state", the shield might not be effective.
Van Blerk said: "Basically we developed the technology and we have done extensive testing at Gansbaai in the Western Cape. I have very little doubt that if surfers wear the device they will be completely safe. You can wear it in a pouch around the ankle and I have worn it while surfing. Once you are in the water you are almost completely unaware of it."
Natal Sharks Board spokesperson Jeremy Cliff agreed that "the shield is used very successfully by divers, but not yet on a wide scale by surfers".
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