[thedoc (OP)]

Research on Shark vision has inspired the design of a wet suit that will camouflage surfers to sharks...
Read a transcript of the interview by clicking here

or [chapter podcast=1000468 track=13.08.29/Naked_Scientists_Show_13.08.29_1001247.mp3] Listen to it now[/chapter] or [download as MP3]

[CliffordK]

Interesting.  I assume the idea is to also camouflage the surfboards...  unless one wishes to encourage the sharks to eat the board and leave the person. 

There have been experiments with "the smell of death".  Apparently sharks are strongly repulsed by the smell of dead shark.  I think there are several researches working on dead shark smell.  Popular swimming areas could be given a large dose of it, or perhaps one could just dab a little on one's wetsuit.

[alancalverd]

Isn't surfing supposed to be a risk sport? So why try to minimise the risk? If there was no propect of getting mauled by a shark, it would just be standing on a board and trying not to be beaten senseless by a collapsing wave. Where's the fun in that? 

[AndroidNeox]

Popular swimming areas could be given a large dose of it, or perhaps one could just dab a little on one's wetsuit.

It might be that not all creatures are repulsed by dead sharks. It might make Killer Whales feel peckish.