Shark Shield Company Collapse
Ocean Guardian, the company that produces Shark Shield electrical deterrent devices, has gone into voluntary administration.
The company made its name producing wearable devices that were sporadically popular with surfers - usually in response to clusters such as happened in Western Australia and NSW northern rivers.
Ocean Guardian has twice prepared to launch an IPO only to withdraw. In 2018 they withdrew the launch after deciding to focus on rolling out new products and consolidating the business. In 2022 they again attempted to launch only to be greeted with a moribund market courtesy of COVID.
The power pack for Shark Shield's surfing device was held in the arch bar of a specialised traction pad
Developed in the late-90s by South African inventors Graeme Charter, Sherman Ripley and Norman Starkey, the technology came to Australia early in the new century under license to Ocean Guardian's predecessor SeaChange Technology. In 2012, Lindsay Lord and Amanda Wilson bought the company, introduced new products, prepared the company for sharemarket launch, and into its latest predicament.
Lindsay Lord pressed for the surfing version - called FREEDOM+ Surf - to be independently tested, which it was by scientists from Flinders University who gave it generally favourable feedback. The Western Australia government subsequently gave its support by offering a $200 rebate on sales of FREEDOM+ Surf, though the uptake was modest.
"On 24 May 2024, after having considered available options, the board of directors resolved to place the companies into voluntary administration," said Olga Litosh from Quartz Advisory who were appointed administrators.
"We are progressively engaging with various parties to recapitalise and/or sell assets, IP, and core business of Ocean Guardian," said Litosh.
Comments
Wrong angle - the should have tried to get onboard with all the SLSCs across Australia, and the world for that matter. Smack them on all the club boards, and you have a modest, but consistent revenue stream.
Solid point, lots of water safety at events across a summer too. If they got the backing of SLSA it would make things easier. There are 314 clubs in Australia x X number of boards to have it fitted. You would guess the business would tick over at least.
So true, get customers (i.e. clubs etc) who feel they need to buy them for all their people as a matter of ethics or perceived liability and you have a captive market. Sell to fickle surfers and you'll sink.
mmm… clubbies don’t tend to be a target for attacks it seems, not sure they’d be keen to get on board.
I have 2 boards set up with the freedom +7. Chose to set up the boards I use most frequently and would travel with as well. I’ve had the gear for 12 months, no issues and easy to use. All the research available seems to make sense. Do I wear a helmet in the surf as well, yep, when I’m somewhere with reef, rocks, unfamiliar surrounds I do.
Tough and a sign of the times….when the one product that has scientifically been proven to work goes under and the one that has scientifically been proven to not work keeps selling.
Interesting Lost - what is the product that sells well your referring to?
Interesting Lost - what is the product that sells well your referring to?
Sharkbanz.
The one Barton promotes.
Very limited of no benefit. All fluff and marketing.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/garystoller/2024/03/28/shark-deterrents-do…
Good summary
Thanks
Snake Oils (with paid endorsements by minor celebs) outsells Science
every day of the year
Sadly true.
On a fishing trip up North, the guide put a shark band in the water and not only did it do nothing to get rid of the sharks, they seemed to like it.
Shame about shark shield though - good people to deal with. I did find the product had a few resilience problems, particularly around the sticker/cable cracking - even a small snick would stop it working and when you fold it under the grip per instructions, it would inevitably fail after a year or so.
Yep (sharkbanz) is scam. FCS are no better by promoting it.
The creditors meeting where its future will be decided is on Friday
Always thought there is some kind of scent that would deter sharks.
Fish dont take bait of they detect sunscreen.
How about Eau De Orcha
Plus Chicks could dig it !
Such a pity. As a pathological dawn patroller in nnsw it gives me great piece of mind. It’s the real deal with real science supporting it.
I was hoping their R&D could create an alternative to the fucktard shark net nightmare that just keeps giving.
Fingers crossed the shark shield products survive and condolences to the company they were always great to deal with.
We have an australian designed Shark deterrant by a surfer shaper and father of kids that surf it has $200 rebate if you live in WA ( fucks me why its not rebated in other states aswell ) that is one of the 2 independantly tested devices and also endorsed to be used in the reunion islands ..Its been available for at least 8 yrs and very few poeple bother to use it ....
Instead they buy endorsed trinkets ...
And ive been a commercial Coral Trout and spanish Mackeral fisherman for over 40 yrs in North Queensland we are covered in sunscreen its on our hands it gets on our lines and our baits and mackeral lures the fish dont care ...Sharks are deterred by certain frequencies which have to be omitted electronically ...The science is out there get on it dont waste your money on endorsed trinkets ..
These are the guys that just went bust. SA should've got on board with the rebate.
In saying we i mean we as astralians . i use the RPELLA system but have no buisness interest in it i just think it is a great product and i am surprissed more surfers dont !
Used to use it Shaun - it was just getting it installed that is a pain and it wasn't good in certain contours like my Jim Banks. The science on it wasn't as good as Shark Shield. I know Dave did get more testing done but the results are not around.
Yeah he has up graded since ..I have installed into channels and similiar bottoms like your talking about i just reverse the set up and put the unit underyour chest and annode in the contours at the rear doesnt change how it works ...Check his website for the testing info its on there ...Fitting is the bit that freaks poeple out i guess but once its in its a lot better than the sticker option ..
I bought one in 2008, but the tail kept getting tangled up with my leg and giving me minor shocks, so I sold it. Did they continue with that model?
While not Shark Shield, I put Rpela housings and subs on all my paddleboards and some surfboards, then it was up to the purchaser to buy a device from me as an option or get one themselves. No-one took the $500 option, but any time they feel spooked by a shark, it's a quick purchase away from a feeling safer. I've never gone the option for myself because of my heart problems.
Long time user of Rpela, know Dave, personal friend so know all the inside stories about the devices and shenanigans over the years.
BTW Dave also makes a fishing one results have been outstanding also confirms the technology effectiveness.
https://www.rpela.com/rpela-fishing-device
The shark numbers having a go trying to take the fish are pretty wild
Try Watching it at a Normal Playback speed.
Everyone should have a proper tourniquet in their board bag, not just for sharks but other slashes we get exposed to as well, and to help any other poor schmuck injured in any way on the beach or the road on the way to the beach for that matter.
Not promoting their product one way or the other, but the youtube video in this Tacmed add showing how/why you apply a tourniquet is pretty informative. (copy & paste into your browser) https://tacmedaustralia.com.au/products/sof-tactical-tourniquet-wide?
Geez, just looked at the rest of the Tacmed product list and they actually have a medically compliant legrope tourniquet.
Still not promoting their product but hard not to go WOW!
https://tacmedaustralia.com.au/products/surf?
I bought one but never used it as it was too bulky around the ankle to surf in- they use a ratchet mechanism which adds weight and bulk. Instead I always carry a swatT tourniquet in a pocket or down the neck of my steamer- small and light- not bulky, doesn't create drag, hasn't deteriorated after a couple of years of use. It will also still be there if the foot with the legrope disappears for any reason (not jinxing myself here).
Another use is for snake bite walking down the headland track.
Need an occasional refresher on correct use.
https://www.swellnet.com/news/swellnet-dispatch/2020/09/10/instructions…
Cool. Shoulda known it would already have been canvassed here.
Thanks for the heads up
Had the old model Shark Shield that shocked your leg if it got too close. Didn't circle back for the newer models in more recent years. I hope the Shark Shield crew get some sort of a result from the wind up as it's a good idea and right intentions. On a more random note... paddled out one day down here in SA and was sitting out the back, all of a sudden a very pungent smell was coming over the water. There was an older bloke paddling towards us on a Mal and as he came closer the smell got stronger... Turns out, this guy was making his own surf wax but it was heavily mixed with all sorts of herbs and even chilli. We heard the guy out without judging him at all. His theory was that sharks sense of smell is one of the key drivers of knowing what you are or are not in the water. So it followed, his theory was that if you smelled like a spicy hybrid Indian or Asian curry, you would be safe from the grey suits as they wouldn't wan't a bar of you or your board covered in this pungent scent.
Has anyone ever seen that guy before or heard anything like this regarding scented wax as a deterrent? The amount of oil coming off his board was a sign he was taking his own theory pretty serious, I've seen less oily liquids on Hot Pot night in Chinatown. Always love a good theory from a random punter and there was no suggestion he was trying to sell it to anyone else or commercialise it.
My brother had an encounter with a shark last year and he oils his wooden paulownia surfboards with a combination of orange tung oil and Organoil which has citrus, pine and eucalyptus oil in it.
One time he called in to show me his latest freshly oiled build and when he pulled the board out of the board cover the smell was very strong.
So he is surfing a very remote beach, clear sky, middle of day, crystal clear water, he looks down and there is a shark swimming in a figure eight below him, next thing two dolphins pop their heads up right in front of him and the shark swims away.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-24/shark-deterrent-surfboard-wax-tr…
Good timing on this article. I was almost sucked in to buying a shankbanz. I’ll wait for the WA study.
Charlie Huvaneers in SA did early research on shark mitigation. His research is readily available. The ocean guardian (shark shield) was the only one with any real effect size.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6120439/
I am probably one of the few with the SharkBanz FCS pod.
Seen all the reviews, good and bad and decided that something that is quite cheap, quite small and easily interchangeable, MIGHT deter some sort of inquisitive grey suit when I am surfing solo down the bottom of 100 stairs with no one in sight and no phone reception.
If I do get done by one, at least I won't be sitting there thinking "Fuck I wish I spared $150 to maybe prevent this" rather it will be "Ah well, I tried"
2 of these woud do.... 1 in your Leggie Key Holder the other in your Boardies / Wettie Pocket ....
https://magnet.com.au/products/neodymium-coloured-button-magnet-12-7mm-…