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.

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.

Reports of shark attacks on surfers appear in the media quite regularly. Researchers have decided to address the issue. Scientists from Macquarie University in New South Wales have developed a simple but effective way to deter these predators.