Shark Safety Pole (SSP)

Our shark safety poles are an incredible feat of engineering and design. We’ll discuss their proper use.

You’ll have to avoid the temptation to treat the SSP like a weapon. It’s not a sword, bat, or billy club. We don’t want you to use it to poke at or stab the sharks. The idea is that the pole helps you maintain a safe perimeter.

You should have the pole planted in the sand in front of you. If you use it like a tripod, it will also help to stabilize you in strong current.

You’ll want to be focusing your attention on the tiger sharks. It’s a 360 encounter, so make sure your head is on a swivel and that you’re looking around and behind at all times. The tiger sharks don’t swim very fast and the water is usually quite clear, so make sure your tracking the sharks and don’t let one sneak up on you.

If a shark approaches you directly, you’ll want to hold the pole vertically (up/down) at either end (top or bottom) and extend it out in front of you. Usually, if you do it in advance, the shark will simply see it and turn off, knowing that’s their boundary. But keep in mind, sharks eyes are off on the side of their head so they don’t have the best view directly in front of them. They’re not really interested in crashing in to people, so once they make contact with the pole, they’ll turn off.

If the shark is swimming down on the sand, just hold the top of the pole and plant it firmly on the bottom out in front of you to set your perimeter. If the shark is swimming up off the sand, you would hold the bottom of the pole and hold it up in front of you. The idea is that the shark will make contact with the middle of the pole and turn off.

Make sure you don’t hold the middle of the pole.

Knowing how to use the SSP is only one part. Knowing WHEN to use the SSP is another. It really should only be used if a TIGER shark is approaching you directly, from any side.