03 December 2004
	COVER STORY LEADING SHARKS BY THE NOSE

In the early 1990s, the Natal Sharks Board (NSB), the world's leading authority on sharks, developed an electronic wave form which successfully deterred sharks. Extensive field trials - mostly on great white, Zambezi and tiger sharks - were carried out to prove the effectiveness of this technology. In 1995, the NSB patented the invention. It then incorporated it into a deterrent called Shark Pod (protective oceanic device), which was produced by an SA joint venture company, Pod Holdings. It works through two electrodes which, when connected to a small 12 V battery pack, create an electrical field around the diver. This field affects sensitive receptors in the snouts of sharks. The initially mild discomfort increases as the sharks approach the transmitter - until it becomes intolerable. The sharks then veer away and leave the area. In January 2000, Australian company SeaChange Technology acquired an exclusive licence with the NSB and Pod Holdings to design and produce smaller and better variations of Shark Pod. SeaChange released a new range of products under the name Shark Shield in March 2002.