Sharkbanz - Do they work?

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

I think a lot of sharks also hunt by eyesight and smell. The magnetic field might annoy their ampullae of lorenzini (electroreceptors), but I doubt that would deter a fully committed shark.

But if you like 'dat, I know a guy who knows a guy, and 'dis guy's got a good deal on the Brooklyn Bridge. Cheap!

[PonoBill]

There is simply no way a couple of rare earth magnets in a plastic bracelet would have any effect on the ampulla of Lorenzini just by simply being present. The Ampulla are a pretty sensitive to electromagnetic fields, but absent relative motion of electrical conductors intercepting the magnetic field, there isn't an electric field. It takes energy conversion, not just magnetism to create an electric field. If it did succeed in generating a weak field that affected the ampulla, then the sharks would be attracted to the bracelet. Actual working EMF shark repellent systems work by overloading the ampulla, first attracting and then chasing off the sharks. Wearing one of those things is pretty rude--essentially summoning sharks and then chasing them off toward your unprotected friends.

The bracelet has no such overload capability. If it worked as stated it would be the equivalent of having an injured fish tied to your wrist.

Good luck with that, but really, don't worry, it doesn't work at all. Fraud, pure and simple.

[OUTSIDEWAVE]

I thought that New Jersey was the site of 2 maybe more attacks apparently by bull sharks that inspired jaws

On a not her note I understand  that GW sharks have never been able to survive in captivity and one  "theory" was that the metal  that frames the tanks somehow sets up a weak magnetic fields which causes their deaths

[OUTSIDEWAVE]

That video is hysterical

[deepmud]

There is simply no way a couple of rare earth magnets in a plastic bracelet would have any effect on the ampulla of Lorenzini just by simply being present. The Ampulla are a pretty sensitive to electromagnetic fields, but absent relative motion of electrical conductors intercepting the magnetic field, there isn't an electric field. It takes energy conversion, not just magnetism to create an electric field. If it did succeed in generating a weak field that affected the ampulla, then the sharks would be attracted to the bracelet. Actual working EMF shark repellent systems work by overloading the ampulla, first attracting and then chasing off the sharks. Wearing one of those things is pretty rude--essentially summoning sharks and then chasing them off toward your unprotected friends.

The bracelet has no such overload capability. If it worked as stated it would be the equivalent of having an injured fish tied to your wrist.

Good luck with that, but really, don't worry, it doesn't work at all. Fraud, pure and simple.

what's happening in the bullshark video in the first post? Seeing that one, I was thinking the shark itself was providing the electric "current"  by moving his nose into the magnetic field of the magnet.  I tell you what - after watching that one, I expected the other video to show more success. Not so much.....but anyway -  No attraction (EMF) but only annoyance when close is what it looked like to me.  I'm ok with your diagnosis of "total crap"   but what is happening? Just good editing? Did the bullsharks attack 50 times but turned away a 1/2 dozen and they only show those scenes?

[PonoBill]

I thought that New Jersey was the site of 2 maybe more attacks apparently by bull sharks that inspired jaws

On a not her note I understand  that GW sharks have never been able to survive in captivity and one  "theory" was that the metal  that frames the tanks somehow sets up a weak magnetic fields which causes their deaths

It's nothing that exotic. Great Whites--even very small ones, need a huge amount of range. Even in a million gallon tank they bash into the walls. In the wild they often move a hundred miles a day--they have to. they are fairly inefficient for so large an animal--they need a hell of a lot of food, and they need to move a lot to find it.

[PonoBill]

There is simply no way a couple of rare earth magnets in a plastic bracelet would have any effect on the ampulla of Lorenzini just by simply being present. The Ampulla are a pretty sensitive to electromagnetic fields, but absent relative motion of electrical conductors intercepting the magnetic field, there isn't an electric field. It takes energy conversion, not just magnetism to create an electric field. If it did succeed in generating a weak field that affected the ampulla, then the sharks would be attracted to the bracelet. Actual working EMF shark repellent systems work by overloading the ampulla, first attracting and then chasing off the sharks. Wearing one of those things is pretty rude--essentially summoning sharks and then chasing them off toward your unprotected friends.

The bracelet has no such overload capability. If it worked as stated it would be the equivalent of having an injured fish tied to your wrist.

Good luck with that, but really, don't worry, it doesn't work at all. Fraud, pure and simple.

what's happening in the bullshark video in the first post? Seeing that one, I was thinking the shark itself was providing the electric "current"  by moving his nose into the magnetic field of the magnet.  I tell you what - after watching that one, I expected the other video to show more success. Not so much.....but anyway -  No attraction (EMF) but only annoyance when close is what it looked like to me.  I'm ok with your diagnosis of "total crap"   but what is happening? Just good editing? Did the bullsharks attack 50 times but turned away a 1/2 dozen and they only show those scenes?

Bingo!!  How do you think that schmuck that finds all the dumb folks who don't know who won the Civil War does it.

[wrybread]

I have a friend who owns a boating store so he gets every fun marine toy he wants. Where we go for abalone is super super sharky, there's been a few actual attacks there, not just sightings, so he put a shark repeller on his boat. Its one of the ones that works with an electric pulse, and it has a bunch of ads just like this one on youtube. I forgot the brand, but its the one where they go on the Great Barrier Reef and find a pod of great whites and turn on the repeller and the sharks scatter.

My friend has been going for abs at this spot for years and had never seen a shark. But the first time he used his fancy new toy he saw his first shark! A big great white swimming around the boat looking completely unphased. He touched the shark repeller to see if it was working and got a big shock.

So I was thinking, you could say that loud noises repel humans, but if we're walking in the desert and hear a loud noise we might go and investigate...

So personally my strategy is to keep doing whatever we humans are doing that apparently makes us so unappetizing to sharks.

[PonoBill]

Not a bad strategy. It's likely his device attracted the shark.

[SUPcheat]

Maybe they should rename them SharksTreats.

[dns]

http://boingboing.net/2017/01/03/shark-bites-boy-wearing-shar.html 

[SD Surfer]

Pretty sure Zack Davis ^^^ would say they don't work.

[808sup]

Do the sell a 4 pack? If you only have one band where do you where it?
I miss Bernie!

[yugi]

Considering the lawsuit the Power Balance Bracelet company went through, and I’m assuming no one got bit wearing one, things not looking too bright for Sharkbanz.

There’s probably as much evidence that magnets attract sharks as there is that they repel them. I wonder if they thought this one through.

[SUPcheat]

Pono Bill, asking all those pointy headed questions about who won the Civil War. 

Well, I have at least a fifty percent chance of guessing right.

That is, after you tell me who the two sides were.