Professional surfers "will reconsider their previous reluctance to use anti-shark devices in light of Mick Fanning’s stunning escape in South Africa, with the world surfing body pledging to review its strategies to prevent attacks," according to Pia Akerman of THE AUSTRALIAN. A growing industry of deterrent devices "has been largely shunned by competitive surfers because of the weight and drag." As former world champion Tom Carroll predicted a renewed urgency for the development of competition-level shark deterrents, the World Surf League on Tuesday said that "it would discuss deterrents in a planned consultation with surfers." A WSL spokesperson said, "An incident like this warrants review from all angles." Surfing Australia CEO Andrew Stark said, "I’m sure there will be extra measures put in place, they (the WSL) will be starting to look at all different risk-management measures to make sure it can’t happen again, but it is the ocean." Research from the University of Western Australia last month "found the Shark Shield technology had a significant effect deterring a range of species, including tiger and white sharks" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 7/22).
