[K1NGWARREN]

Shark Repellent Deemed a Breakthrough
Saturday, July 31, 2004

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Excited by the scent of blood, a dozen sharks dart about in a frenzy as a researcher dips a pole in the sea and squirts out a clear, yellowish substance. Within seconds, the sharks jerk their snouts away and vanish.

Researchers say they finally have found a potent repellent to drive away sharks, after testing off Bimini island in the Bahamas. It's a goal that's eluded scientists for decades.

"You introduce this chemical, and they all leave," said lead researcher Eric Stroud, a 30-year-old chemical engineer from Oak Ridge, N.J. "It works very, very well."

http://story.news.ya...epelling_sharks

[Just your average movie goer]

Excellent. I'll just wait until Ron and Valerie Taylor give it a test run and if they're not devoured, I'll give it a shot.

[Heccubus]

I can't believe people are still freaked out by Jaws. That movie is so tame by today's standards.

[electricprune]

I have a good friend who is terrified of sharks and gets the willies whenever you mention "Jaws." Perhaps I ought to get him one of those shark shields that divers wear for his next trip to the beach.

[Just your average movie goer]

I'm happy just as long as the water is clear and the sunlight enhances the visibility as much as possible. I hate swimming in murky water and I hate it when a wave whips up lots of sand in the water so you can't see a thing. I do not like this at all. If there is a shark in the water, I want to be able to see it.

[SimeSublime]

Generally, if a shark is near the beach, its all over the radio in advance anyway.

[barend]

...a researcher dips a pole in the sea and squirts out a clear, yellowish substance...

is just me, or did the dude just take a leak in the ocean?

[Just your average movie goer]

My God! It's so simple! You don't have to do anything to ward off a shark attack.

If you see a shark near you in the water, you will be petrified. If you are petrified, you will wet yourself. If you wet yourself, the odour of the urine carried by the ocean currents will disgust the shark and it will go away.

No worries!

[electricprune]

That's what I thought when I first read that. Maybe I just have a gross mind.

[reiner]

But... Bat Man has had Bat Shark Repellent for years. Damn Wayne industries and their malicious lies and coverups!

[barend]

It's funny I was just thinking about that... and it came in a can of spray too...

[Just your average movie goer]

That was one of the funniest things I've ever seen on television. It's a hard call though, deciding which was the most outlandish...

the shark repellant

or

Batman rehydrating all the U.N. guys.


Probably the latter, as it's completely impossible, but the shark repellant cracked me up just as much.

[Jordan]

I've been SCUBA diving in Hawaii before, and I always kept in the back of my mind the possiblity of a shark attack. Fish move so gracefuly underwater. You move like a ton of bricks. YOu have 0 chance of surviving when you are that deep in the ocean. (30-60 ft)

When I dive here in BC, I always think of global warming, and the chances that sharks have migrated up here.


It doesn't ruin my dives, I"m not scared, just aware.

[Just your average movie goer]

Agreed. Throwing aside the humourous deviation this thread has taken, a bit of caution is always a good thing when you're in the water. That's why I don't swim in murky ocean water with low visibility and I generally try to avoid swimming in the ocean at dusk.

[Jordan]

That's why I don't swim in murky ocean water with low visibility

You just described BC diving. The creepiest moment I ever had underwater was during a wreck dive off the coast of Nanaimo. The wreck started at 60 ft I think, and was located in green murkey waters.

At one point during the ascention, I was far enough from the surface to not get ample light and far enough from the wreck so I could not see ground or anything. I was trapped in "sea space".

Now that is creepy! Bring surrounded by murkey water all by yourself (met up with team at the ship). You can't help but look out into the great abyss and fear that something old and terrible will come forth and drag you away to it's lair.