How might you protect yourself from sharks? Smell like a dead one
A new type of shark repellant is being tested off the Cape coast, which involves fastening a special tablet around the ankle of a bather, which then dissolves
A synthetic substance that dissolves in water to mimic the smell of dead sharks is being tested off the Cape coast. It is designed to protect bathers from the apex predators.Cape Town resident Collin Brooker and his son Simon have teamed up with scientist Jane Fallows to produce a new type of shark repellent‚ dubbed the Podi.The device‚ described as a tablet that can be fastened around the ankle of a bather or surfer‚ is seen as an alternative to harming the creatures in order to protect bathers."It is well-known that sharks move away from the smell of a dead shark‚ particularly a decaying shark. Current technology works on the biochemistry where a dead shark is boiled down‚ turned into a gel and used to repel sharks‚" said Brooker."We have identified the particular structures [of that smell] and we have synthetically reproduced all the compounds that make up the smell of a dead shark. We don’t have to kill a shark to repel a shark. All the different chemical make-ups are completely...
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