Australian scientists have tested new materials which could be developed into shark bite-resistant materials to reduce the chances of injuries for divers and surfers.
While wet suits made of the materials could still not prevent internal and crushing injuries, they can be part of the “toolkit” of measures available to reduce shark-bite risk and resulting injuries, say researchers from Flinders University.
Shark bites are rare but can severely impact coastal communities and businesses, especially in places dependent on water-based tourism.
While governments provide area-based protection, there is also increasing focus on personal deterrents like bite-resistant wetsuits and electric stun guns.
These suits have emerged as a potential option for reducing the severity of injuries inflicted from shark bites, including from lacerations, punctures, tissue and blood loss.
The new study, published in the journal Wildlife Research, tested four bite-resistant wetsuit materials – Aqua Armour, Shark Stop, ActionTX-S and Brewster material – to reduce damage incurred from white and tiger shark bites.
These two sharks are responsible for the most unprovoked bites and are two of the top three species with the highest rate of fatal bites, according to previous studies.
Human interactions with these sharks continue to rise in frequency, with expanding coastal populations and rising popularity of marine activities, scientists say.
Although traditional suits made of chainmail were protective, these are too inflexible and heavy for activities like surfing or diving, researchers say.
On the other hand, wetsuits made of the new materials have strong and light fibres typically used in sailing rope.
These are made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene and offer both flexibility and protection, making them more suitable for recreational use, scientists say.
Researchers assessed each material’s potential in reducing injuries from white and tiger sharks by quantifying the amount of bite damage across four categories of increasing severity, ranging from “superficial” to “critical”, and comparing it to damage on standard neoprene.
“While there were small differences between the four tested materials, they all reduced the amount of substantial and critical damage, which would typically be associated with severe haemorrhaging and tissue or limb loss,” said study author Charlie Huveneers from Flinders University.
“Our study showed that bite-resistant materials incorporated into wetsuits can reduce damage from large white and tiger sharks compared to a standard neoprene wetsuit, even from moderate and severe bites,” Dr Huveneers said.
Researchers hope the findings could lead to better bite-resistant wetsuits and help people make better-informed decisions about the effectiveness of such products.
