Anti-shark neoprene suits are already a reality, they do not prevent bites but they do prevent teeth

Surfers and divers rejoice, a new range of shark-proof wetsuits built with nanofiber technology that is resistant to shark bites is about to hit the market.

The Shark Stop range of wetsuits are only slightly heavier than a normal wetsuit and their material is made from bio-based neoprene, which has the lowest carbon footprint in modern wetsuit manufacturing.

They are world leaders in the development of shark bite resistant wetsuits using new space age polymer nanofiber technology. This company che began his research in response to the large number of shark bite accidents on the north coast of New South Wales.

Haydon Burford, the founder, spent four years researching a suitable fabric to develop a resistant diving suit to shark bites. The mission of this company is to create not only the safest suit in the event of a shark incident, but also to take into account what makes a diving suit highly functional.

“We know that when surfing and scuba diving you need maximum flexibility in your wetsuit so you don’t have any restrictions. The strength of the Shark Stop fabric doesn’t compromise its flexibility”says its founder. They have scientifically proven that Shark Stop reduce the depth of a great white shark bite.

Shark Stop diving suits they incorporate ultra high molecular weight polyethylene nanofibers (UHMWPE). UHMWPE has a strength-to-weight ratio 50% higher than Kevlar, and 8-15 times higher than steel.

Nanofibers are abrasion resistant as well as being UV resistant and lightweight with low density. This technology is widely used in defense and ballistic protection applications. The strategic placement of these aims to protect the most common bite points, mainly the femoral arteries.

Nowadays the project is in the final stages of development. “Although we have created sample products, we have not yet made these suits to scale. There could be issues that we haven’t run into yet.”