Fixing LED strip lights to the bottom of surfboards could deter attacks by great white sharks, Australian scientists say. A study conducted in Mossel Bay, South Africa involved towing seal-shaped boards fitted with different configurations of lights behind a boat to see which attracted the most attention.

Every day, Cole Taschman heads out to Bathtub Beach in Stuart, Florida. The quiet reef on the Atlantic Coast got its name from the “bathtub effect” which breaks up waves, creates a shallow pool at low tide and reduces erosion. For Cole and the Taschman family, who consider the beach their backyard, it is known for something else.

New research reveals how LED lights on seal decoys can deter great white sharks by disrupting their hunting behaviour. The study, inspired by marine creatures that use bioluminescence, found that altering the predator's view of prey silhouettes from below could lead to non-invasive shark deterrent technology.