An Australian surfer believes he has developed an organic surf wax that repels great white sharks.
Neil Campbell created Chillax SurfWax, a product made of four strong essential oils, four spices, pure virgin organic coconut oil, and unfiltered beeswax. He says he wants to "take surfers off the shark's menu."
The surfer-entrepreneur moved to South Australia recently, and he couldn't imagine himself paddling and having fun in shark-infested waters.
He knew he had to do something, and electronic shark repellents and deterrents were not the way.
Campbell did his own research and concluded that clove oil is used to euthanize sharks and that hot peppers can effectively keep the predators at a safe distance.
Chillax aims to create a multi-sensory barrier to the delicate olfactory, taste, and sight receptors of great white sharks. The shark-repelling surf wax will be tested at Neptune Island in September 2016.
In the future, Neil Campbell plans to add necromone oils with necrotic or rotting shark tissue to the Chillax SurfWax formula so that the product moves from a passive deterrent recipe to an aggressive repellent.
Discover the most surprising facts about sharks, and learn how to survive a shark attack. Take a look at the most shark-infested waters, and get a shark repellent.