Shark Deterrent Clear Decal

How can eye stickers stop a shark charging/ambushing?

We believe once a shark is fired up and has made its decision to ambush prey in attack mode and is already charging not much will deter it at that point except a shark cage. 

This deterrent is not failsafe and not a shark cage and we do not encourage folks to think of it this way. We believe the eyes can help before this happens, as the shark is conducting its risk assessment and deciding what to attack.

Anecdotally and from what we have seen and experienced we believe the eyes has merit to help to alter the sharks decision to fire up in the first place as it makes its risk assessment of what prey to hit. The aim of the eyes is to hereby psychologically trick the shark into thinking its been spotted, and in turn doubt its attack, altering its choice to rather attack prey that has not seen it and does not realise it is there. In this moment element of surprise is hopefully lost and the sharks behaviour is potentially changed to become more cautious of the object with the eyes, giving you time to get out of the water. We believe the eyes has merit with this initial encounter to change the Sharks behaviour and potentially abort the attack. 

Do sharks have good vision and can the Shark see the eyes in murky water?

It is a common misconception that all sharks have bad vision. Each shark species differ in their visual capabilities, but its our belief that most sharks regardless of their vision still conduct a visual inspection as part of their risk assessment before they fire up to attack. In dirty water we feel this is just done at a closer range. From what we have observed most Sharks don’t just swim around bumping into things and eating random objects without first deciding wether it’s potential prey and lining up the attack intentionally. 

Depending on the species, water visibility and light the visual assessment will be made at a differing distance each time.  Some scientists believe that the Great White shark for instance has great vision, rods and cones and can see its prey 10-15m away in low light and bad visibility, and may be conducting a visual inspection at this point of distance

Why is the eye blue and why is it a human eye?

Every aspect of our eyes was intentionally designed around what we know about sharks visual capabilities. Our eye design is blue intentionally- as blue is the last colour to be lost in the water column at depth, for divers this is relevant.

The eyes are human shape intentionally- this is because we do not want to appear as a sharks usual food, the goal is to instil some doubt in the shark with an unknown eye they are not familiar with. Orca eyes are black and seal like and appear very similar to a seal- a GW sharks usual food- we don’t want that!

Contrast- it is assumed sharks don’t need colour vision, but it is believed by the scientific community that they see contrast extremely well. Hence our eye was designed with contrast, to stand out even more to the shark underwater.

Are the bigger eyes more effective?

We have not yet tested small vs big eyes and hope to test this in the near future. But from what we have seen anecdotally yes it is our belief that the larger the eye sticker the more effective it should be at helping 

to deter the shark. 

Do the Shark Eyes stickers attract sharks?

From the testing we have done to date and from what we have seen, we feel strongly that the eyes DO NOT not attract sharks. There has been no reports of this anecdotally, neither have we seen any evidence in our use and testing of the eyes to suggest that they attract sharks. 

Are the Eyes tested/ what studies have been done?

Due to limited resources and funding limiting us in the early years, offical testing commenced in 2025. As a small private company we are so excited it is now ongoing. Aside from anecdotal testing, we are currently officially testing the eyes on sharks and have conducted 2x trails this year already in 2 differing locations. The shark species we have gathered data on to date are; Lemon shark, Tiger Shark, Tawny nurse Shark, Shovel Nose shark, Black tip Reef Shark. As you can imagine we need to travel with large teams, a ton of very expensive equipment to very remote locations to achieve this so it takes time. We are so excited to bring these results to you as soon as possible as testing continues.

The purpose of our validation trials is to basically test the hypothesis that the Shark Eyes decal alters a sharks behaviour, either in the form of avoidance or deterrence.

The recent trials were preliminary trials that allowed us to test the

methodology and gain initial video footage which has allowed us to tweek and fine tune for future trials. 

Findings

In the footage we definitively saw the Shark Eyes decoy change both fish and sharks behaviours – ranging from wariness on approach, sharp changes in direction when contact with eyes was made, to sharks giving a wide berth and fish shoals preferentially avoiding.

The trends seen in the current footage really gives us confidence that our hypothesis is worthwhile trialling further, hopefully gaining enough interactions to have a robust data set to analyse and provide significant results. 

Additionally, the amount of data and information being gained by these trials is huge, not only from a shark eyes point of view but for the broader scientific community, being able to conduct this groundbreaking science with sharks is very exciting.

Have humans ever tested fake eyes as a means of defence on any animals before?

Prior to this the fake eye theory has never been tested on sharks before. It has however been tested on other wild land ambush predators before with positive results for the fake eyes theory. An Australian scientist tested fake eyes against lions on the behinds of cows in Botswana with remarkable results, please click the link to learn more:

https://www.sharkeyesglobal.com/pages/eye-cow-case-study

Man has been using this ancient theory for years in India against tigers,  and native Americans were said to use fake eyes too in preventing cougar attacks. 

https://www.nytimes.com/1989/09/05/science/face-masks-fool-the-bengal-tigers.html

"1. Will the decal stick to soft or flexible gear?
No – the decals are designed for hard, non-flexible surfaces. Avoid applying to rubber fins, soft plastics, or inflatables.

2. What’s the best colour choice for my board?
Use black decals for coloured or darker gear, and clear for white or light-coloured surfaces to match your setup.

3. Do they actually work?
Anecdotally yes, we are independently testing our deterrents and plan to publish peer-reviewed research ASAP. Early data and real-world performance are strong.

4. What makes Shark Eyes deterrents different?
They’re simple solution, affordable, field-tested, and designed with real-world use in mind. No bulk, batteries or tech required.

5. Will they interfere with marine life?
Nope. They rely on natural visual deterrence without harming or affecting wildlife.

6. How do I apply or use them?
Easy – attach to your board, fins, or watercraft. Instructions are included with every purchase.

7. Have they been featured anywhere?
Yes, Shark Eyes deterrents have appeared on BBC, ABC, WSL, Swellnet, Nine News, Seven News, and more.

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FREE RETURNS ON WETSUITS – AUSTRALIA-WIDE

We get it – sometimes the fit isn’t quite right. If your wetsuit isn’t perfect, we’ll cover the return shipping so you can swap it or get a refund – no stress.

Free returns within 30 days of purchase

Wetsuit must be unused, with tags attached and in original condition (trying it on is totally fine)

Just email us – we’ll send you a prepaid return label

6-month warranty on stitching

We’re here to make sure you’re stoked with your gear.