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With current news regarding sharks, Two Sydney surfers have come up with a timely invention.

Danny Togo and Craig Wills, the creators of Fang Shooey, claim that, for all its simplicity, the product is a highly effective way of repelling those not-so-welcome marine visitors.

Fang Shooey is a sticker; nothing more, nothing less. The duo came up with the notion after watching a doco on the ocean predators. The program showed footage of divers swimming with white pointers, outside the shark cage. They're only means of defense and deterant? A fake shark profile. Rather them than me, but apparently, this is enough to dissuade potential attackers.

Based on this theory, wills and Togo, who has a history in marine biology, have created a one metre long sticker of an exaggerated great white. The teeth are enhanced and the eye enlarged and this, say the pair, will prevent unwelcome chomps.

In a test, using half a dozen boards and the aid of around fifteen frothing white pointers, the boards remained untouched. That is, until masses of burly were poured over them!

The test took place fifteen km off Port Lincoln in SA. The skipper of the boat that provided transport (and a safe vantage point) for the test, an experienced shark researcher, claimed that the boards wouldn't last more than 15 seconds.

But the test subjects lasted indefinitely, with the surrounding fish paying little or no attention to them. I'm not gonna be the first to raise my hand to be the first live test, but if you regularly surf in a sharky area, such as SA or around Stradbroke, the place of last weekend's fatal attack, it might be worthwhile checking out the website...

Shark repellent sticker hits the market

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 12 January, 2006 :

Featured Article

- - Like the Chinese art form of Feng Shui will protect you from negative energy, the shark repellent sticker aptly named Fang Shooey is said to protect you from the jaws of any shark. The fatal shark attack of a 21-year-old woman at Stradbroke Island in Queensland has reignited discussion about the risk swimmers and surfers take when they enter the water.

CSIRO Research Scientist Richard Pillans recently told us about the Behaviour of Bull Sharks which are being held responsible for the attack. Over the past decade there has been an increase in the research and development of devices that deter sharks. Some of the shark deterrents available in the market include electronic shields and chemical repellents.

But now two Sydney-based men have developed what they believe could be a potentially life-saving addition for surfboard riders. Danny Togo and Craig Wills are the designers of Fang Shooey, a sticker and picture of a Great White shark, which they believe, stuck to the bottom of surfboards will deter sharks from attacking.

It may seem like a simple concept but both men are avid surfers and Craig who has a history in Marine Biology says the idea stuck when they were watching a documentary on Great White Sharks.

"A leading shark researcher, Mark Marks was swimming with white pointers outside the cage with a device called a gape board. That's a big caricature of a white pointer and we just thought, jeez lets take this one step further and add the correct colours and exaggerate the size of the eye and the teeth and put it on the bottom of surfboards," says Craig.

"The sticker doesn't affect the performance of surfboards", Craig says, "It's a super tack 1-metre sticker - we took it down to South Australia, 40 km off Port Lincoln where there were 10 to 15 white pointers under the boat and we threw six or seven boards out and were amazed at the results".

Craig says the skipper of the boat, a leading researcher, was convinced the boards wouldn't 'last 20seconds' and that 'they'd be smashed to smithereens'. "But they were out there for that long that it was actually upsetting them, so they had to pour about an inch thick of tuna oil and burley and chum blood over the board before it actually got a result and the shark bumped the board".

Which could lead to the summation that if you don't pour burley over your board you've got a good chance of survival using the sticker? "Yeah, that's right! Well, listen if you're out there on your own and it's dusk or dawn or there's a shark out there - what we're thinking is that at least you've got some kind of protection with Fang Shooey," says Craig.

"When a shark swims underneath they can easily identify the sticker as another shark", Craig says, "The right colours have been used including grey for the body and dull pink for the gums". But it is important to note that in the recent shark attack on Stradbroke Island, the bull shark has been identified as the likely culprit, and it's known to prefer murky waters and also detects its prey by vibration not sight.

"Yes, that shark is a huge problem all around the world. In Africa they call the bull shark a Zambezi shark. In India they call it a Ghangi shark. In America they've got problems with them also - they'll actually attack in 2 feet of water. They call them the pit-bull of sharks; they're an absolute nuisance shark.

"At the end of the day the bull shark looks at what it's attacking - we know one thing and that's that the great white doesn't have any other predators. It's the top of the food chain as far animals go in the sea. We still think if you've got it on your board you still might have a chance," says Craig.

Check out Fang Shooey Stickers http://www.fangshooey.com.au/

Radio Interview ( transcript )

"When a shark swims underneath they can easily identify the sticker as another shark" Fang Shooey creator Craig Wills.

Like the Chinese art form of Feng Shui will protect you from negative energy, the shark repellent sticker aptly named Fang Shooey is said to protect you from the jaws of any shark.

The fatal shark attack of a 21-year-old woman at Stradbroke Island in Queensland has reignited discussion about the risk swimmers and surfers take when they enter the water.

CSIRO Research Scientist Richard Pillans recently told us about the Behaviour of Bull Sharks which are being held responsible for the attack.

Over the past decade there has been an increase in the research and development of devices that deter sharks. Some of the shark deterrents available in the market include electronic shields and chemical repellents.

But now two Sydney-based men have developed what they believe could be a potentially life-saving addition for surfboard riders.

Danny Togo and Craig Wills are the designers of Fang Shooey, a sticker and picture of a Great White shark, which they believe, stuck to the bottom of surfboards will deter sharks from attacking.

It may seem like a simple concept but both men are avid surfers and Craig who has a history in Marine Biology says the idea stuck when they were watching a documentary on Great White Sharks.

"A leading shark researcher, Mark Marks was swimming with white pointers outside the cage with a device called a gape board. That's a big caricature of a white pointer and we just thought, jeez lets take this one step further and add the correct colours and exaggerate the size of the eye and the teeth and put it on the bottom of surfboards," says Craig.

"The sticker doesn't affect the performance of surfboards", Craig says, "It's a super tack 1-metre sticker - we took it down to South Australia, 40 km off Port Lincoln where there were 10 to 15 white pointers under the boat and we threw six or seven boards out and were amazed at the results".

Craig says the skipper of the boat, a leading researcher, was convinced the boards wouldn't 'last 20seconds' and that 'they'd be smashed to smithereens'. "But they were out there for that long that it was actually upsetting them, so they had to pour about an inch thick of tuna oil and burley and chum blood over the board before it actually got a result and the shark bumped the board".

Which could lead to the summation that if you don't pour burley over your board you've got a good chance of survival using the sticker? "Yeah, that's right! Well, listen if you're out there on your own and it's dusk or dawn or there's a shark out there - what we're thinking is that at least you've got some kind of protection with Fang Shooey," says Craig.

"When a shark swims underneath they can easily identify the sticker as another shark", Craig says, "The right colours have been used including grey for the body and dull pink for the gums".

But it is important to note that in the recent shark attack on Stradbroke Island, the bull shark has been identified as the likely culprit, and it's known to prefer murky waters and also detects its prey by vibration not sight.

"Yes, that shark is a huge problem all around the world. In Africa they call the bull shark a Zambezi shark. In India they call it a Ghangi shark. In America they've got problems with them also - they'll actually attack in 2 feet of water. They call them the pit-bull of sharks; they're an absolute nuisance shark.

"At the end of the day the bull shark looks at what it's attacking - we know one thing and that's that the great white doesn't have any other predators. It's the top of the food chain as far animals go in the sea. We still think if you've got it on your board you still might have a chance," says Craig.

Featured Article

By AMY REMEIKIS WOULD you trust your life to a scary drawing? Sydneysiders Craig Wills and Danny Togo reckon you should.

They have spent the past three years developing Fang Shooey, a visual shark deterrent which sticks to the bottom of surf craft.

They claim the result “will give surfers a chance to get away from something that they don’t usually have a chance to get away from”.

Coolum Surfing School owner and operator Chris Kendall purchased the stickers for the same reason.

“Obviously common sense is the biggest factor to take in, like not swimming in river mouths, or being in the water during dawn and dusk, things like that,” he said.

“But something like this gives you a bit more confidence if you are out in the water all alone. “It’s just an added bit of protection that might give you some extra time if you need it.”

Mr Togo said their product was based on the principle that a “shark wouldn’t attack another shark”.

“We went straight to the top of the food chain with this and tested it with great white sharks,” he said.

“We took six surf boards with the design underneath and floated them in the water 50km outside of Port Lincoln.

“Even the skipper of the boat thought that the boards wouldn’t last two minutes out there, but although the great whites would come up to the boards, they would veer away once they got closer.”

But renowned bull shark expert Richard Pillans isn’t so sure.

The CSIRO marine scientist said a visual deterent wouldn’t be effective in dirty water, when sharks switched to using a type of sonar.

“We all admit weak forms of electricty in the water and that’s how sharks find their prey, so in that case a visual deterent wouldn’t do anything,” he said.

“Most shark attacks happen very quickly and most sharks have made up their minds by the time they attack, so a quick glimpse of a shark’s head may not put them off.

“I’m not sure there is enough evidence out there to say sharks aren’t afraid of other sharks and an eight-foot shark may not necessarily be scared of a four-foot shark.