Bite Me!

Whilst they are very rare, there is no denying that shark bites are absolutely devastating. Creating fear of the ocean, hatred for sharks and frustration that governments do not take more effective action to protect ocean users, shark bite fatalities can devastate communities. Even if a person is lucky enough to survive, such an attack can cause life-changing injuries. In the past the solution was simply to kill sharks or separate them away from bather beaches, but these methods are outdated and hugely unethical. There must be a better way! Well maybe there already is... scientists and engineers are now developing shark bite resistant wetsuits that could protect ocean users from critical injuries. But how effective are these suits? Do they actually work? And how on Earth do they test them?

Scientists have tested the efficacy of several different brands of shark-resistant wetsuits and found they are effective at reducing the injuries caused by large sharks (Image Credit: Sam Cahir / Predatory Pix & sharkidfuvahmulah / Instagram)

Their Bark is Worse than Their Bite

It is incredibly rare to be injured by a shark. You are more likely to to be killed by your toaster; to be struck by lightening; or injured by a toilet seat, than you are by a shark. In fact, for every one person who is bitten by a shark, five people are bitten by New Yorkers. So statistically it is a tiny risk. To learn more, head over to More likely to be Killed by a Coconut* and Myth Busted: Shark Bite Rates are NOT Rising (They're Falling!).

Scientists have shown that the shark bite rate (between 2000 and 2016) is declining globally (Ritter et al, 2019)

However, as our global population rises and ocean use for recreation becomes ever-more popular, fear of the devastating impacts that sharks can have on communities and individuals' lives as a results of bites, ensures that coastal communities remain continuously vigilant against large sharks. Traditional methods, like drumlines and beach nets are now being rejected due their enormous bycatch of turtles, dolphins and seabirds, as well as the impact they have on shark populations themselves. Thus, modern technologies to help protect ocean users from sharks are being developed. To find out about some of these new inventions, you can head over to SharkSpeak: Technology.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOSk1U4VsCM

Bite Back

One such technology that has been developed is wetsuit fabrics that can resist shark bites. This idea dates back to the 1970s, when a company called Neptunic designed a bite-resistant chainmail suit to protect researchers (Gellerman 1988). However, the efficacy of these suits is uncertain, as they were only tested on smaller species, like blue sharks (Prionace glauca). They also had limited application, as they were simply too heavy and inflexible for activities like surfing or spearfishing (Whitmarsh et al, 2019; Clarke et al, 2025).

Aqua Armour wetsuit fabric has kevlar strands woven into the elastic neoprene matrix (Image Source: Aqua Armour)

Subsequently, research has focused on developing protective, yet light-weight materials, like dense polythene and even kevlar. For example, Brewster is a fabric made from a web of Kevlar fibres fused to polyurethane. ActionTX-S is constructed by weaving Yulex rubber and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene strands, that are otherwise used to make high strength shipping ropes. Brands such as Aqua Armour and Shark Stop claim to protect ocean users from shark bites, whilst maintaining freedom of movement (Whitmarsh et al, 2019; Clarke et al, 2025). But how effective are they?

Tiger sharks are potentially one of the most dangerous species of sharks (Image Credit: Michael Bogner / Shutterstock)

Life With More Bite

Laboratory-based testing using a machine that can simulate shark bites has shown that Shark Stop and Action TX are both very effective. Shark Stop was shown to be able to withstand some 1150 Newtons of bite force. Whilst this means that the fabric can be penetrated by a white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), bites were much shallower and less extensive than those inflicted through a standard neoprene wetsuit, and thus were much less likely to have been fatal to the victim (Whitmarsh et al, 2019).

Shark Stop and ActionTX wetsuit fabrics withstood significantly more bite force than standard wetsuits during laboratory testing (Whitmarsh et al, 2019)

Going one step further, scientists have now really put these wetsuits to the test by pitting them against real-life white sharks and tiger sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier). No simulations, no models - real life field tests (Clarke et al, 2025).

Sharks were attracted to a research boat using chum and bait. The wetsuit fabrics were then wrapped around a bait and presented to a shark to bite down on (Clarke et al, 2025).

Bites were categorised based on how much damage they would cause to a human body, with larger, deeper wounds being likely to lead to increased blood-loss, and thus, more likely to cause death. C1 bites were considered 'superficial' and C2 causing 'slight' damage. However, C3 and C4 were termed 'substantial' and 'critical' respectively, with such bites likely resulting in major, life-threatening injuries (Clarke et al, 2025).

Scientists assessed the efficacy of shark-bite-resistant wetsuits by categorising the severity of the bites from tiger sharks and great whites: C3 and C4 being most serious, life-threatening bites that would cause massive blood loss and potentially death (Clarke et al, 2025).

Biting Off More Than You Can Chew

As great whites and tiger sharks are two of the most deadly species of sharks, the results from these trials show how these suits will function in the worst case scenarios. Whatsmore, as these wild sharks were actively foraging for food at the time, the measurements of the damage represent a relatively accurate representation of how these suits are likely to function in a genuine attack situation (Whitmarsh et al, 2019; Clarke et al, 2025; ISAF, 2025). The results were very promising.

"Bite-resistant materials offer an improved level of protection that can reduce severe wounds and blood loss".

-Clarke et al 2025

Independent scientific field testing showed that all four commercially available wetsuits showed similar effectiveness in protecting the wearer from significant bites from white sharks and tiger sharks (Clarke et al, 2025)

The field tests showed that all the bite-resistant materials that were assessed were quite effective. They all reduced the area which was subjected to substantial and critical damage from the great white and tiger shark bites to a similar degree. However, Shark Stop showed variable results with C1 damage (Clarke et al, 2025).

What this means for real-world bite victims, is that attacks will be much less severeCrushing injuries could still occur, but haemorrhaging would be significantly reduced. As blood loss is the most common cause of death in these incidents, these results indicate that these suits could genuinely save lives (Clarke et al, 2025).

Great whites have been responsible for the highest number of human deaths from shark bites since records began (Image Credit: Willyam Bradberry / Shutterstock)

Bite the Dust

This all sounds like very good news! However, the scientists conducting the study noted that there was a trade-off between bite-resistance and flexibility; with the best protection only offered by relatively inflexible wetsuits. This means that ocean users might be reluctant to actually buy these wetsuits, if they inhibit their movement during their sport or are simply uncomfortable to wear, even if they are effective against shark bites (Clarke et al, 2025).

Field testing against great whites and tiger sharks have shown that Shark Stop, Brewster, Action TX-S and Aqua Armour wetauit fabrics are all very effective at reducing damage inflicted by shark bites (Clarke et al, 2025)

Personal electrical shark deterrents have shown some promising results for protecting ocean users from large sharks (to learn more, see Shock Therapy). However, public confidence in these products is very low, and many ocean users choose not to trust them. If shark-proof wetsuits are to have higher consumer confidence and more success, it will be vital to communicate clearly how effective this new technology is, and be honest and clear about the shortfalls.

In my opinion, these wetsuits represent the new wave of ethical shark-protection; by ensuring sharks do not have to be sacrificed in order to protect human life. Everybody wins! I for one would certainly love to have one!

References

Clarke TM, Butcher PA, Green M, Whitelaw J, Meyer L & Huveneers C (2025). Effectiveness of bite-resistant materials to reduce injuries from white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) bites. Wildlife Research, 52:10, WR25019. Access online.

Gellerman B (1988). What’s new in handling infectious materials; for surgeons, gloves of brass chain mail. In The New York Times. Access online.

ISAF (2025). Florida Museum of Natural History International Shark Attack File. Access online.

IUCN (2025). International Union for the Conservation on Nature Red List of Threatened Species. Access online.

Whitmarsh SK, Amin DB, Costi JJ, Dennis JD & Huveneers C (2019). Effectiveness of novel fabrics to resist punctures and lacerations from white shark (Carcharodon carcharias): Implications to reduce injuries from shark bites. PloS one, 14:11, e0224432. Access online.