Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS) Wetsuits?

[WetSEAL]

So you have never seen a shark.

That's correct, I try to research risk mitigation strategies before they are needed! Isn't that the point?

 

[broncobowsher]

A few years back I was on a business trip at a resort and as a time filler they had a "bee experience". I got an education on bees. Even went out and opened a hive. Had 2500 bees in my hands while inside a honey comb. With a little proper education you can loose a fear. Since then I have had a swarm of bees in my back yard. Oh well, everything is fine. I learned that it was just a colony on the move and not taking up residence. No problem.

With a proper education (watching shark week is not a proper education) and actually experiencing sharks in the wild will do wonders. Not caving into fear based marketing.

 

[doctormike]

That's correct, I try to research risk mitigation strategies before they are needed! Isn't that the point?

So why dive? Why settle for just a partial, unproven mitigation of a life threatening scenario? If it's really that significant of a risk, golf is a more surefire way of avoiding being killed by a shark than that wetsuit.

 

[davehicks]

That's correct, I try to research risk mitigation strategies before they are needed! Isn't that the point?

Look, your biggest risk from a shark while diving is that you will be so amazed, excited, and joyful that you will forget to check your pressure gauge. Forget the zebra wetsuit or whatever and get a Pony Bottle. It will do you a lot more good.

Maybe if you ever get charged by a scary shark you can jam your stage bottle in it's mouth - Jaws Style.

 

[WetSEAL]

So why dive? Why settle for just a partial, unproven mitigation of a life threatening scenario? If it's really that significant of a risk, golf is a more surefire way of avoiding being killed by a shark than that wetsuit.

So by your logic, we should also ditch safety stops because DCS is a low probability and safety stops are not proven to be 100 percent effective

 

[doctormike]

So by your logic, we should also ditch safety stops because DCS is a low probability and safety stops are not proven to be 100 percent effective

Nah. Just saying that it's safer to stay out of the water if you are concerned about shark attacks.

DCS is VERY common. FAR more common than shark attacks on scuba divers. I have taken a chamber ride myself, and I know a number of people who have as well. So I do a lot to mitigate that risk.

Double failures are so uncommon that we don't plan for them because if we did, we would never get in the water. For example, I don't carry redundant bailout, in case both my CCR becomes unusable AND my bailout fails as well.

So every risk mitigation has to take into account (1) the likelihood of the risk, (2) the efficacy of the mitigation, and (3) the overhead of mitigation - cost and other downsides.

So I agree, not much of a downside of choosing a different pattern for a wetsuit. But since 1 is so low and 2 is unknown, it sounds like many people in this thread wouldn't pay extra for one of these. Of course, if your calculus is different, then you should absolutely get one.

 

[Hoyden]

With a proper education (watching shark week is not a proper education) and actually experiencing sharks in the wild will do wonders. Not caving into fear based marketing.

I wish that I could like this a thousand times!!!