It’s a heavy claim but one all surfers would probably love to place faith in. “This wetsuit will reduce your chances of being attacked by a shark.”

That’s exactly what a group of researchers from West Australia are saying about a new form of wetsuit technology they have just unveiled. Operating under the name Shark Attack Mitigation Systems [S.A.M.S], the group claims that their new product is backed by strong scientific evidence.

According to their press release the shark deterrent wetsuits come in two distinctly different strategic designs, “One that blends the wearer with background colours in the water and the other that makes the wearer highly visible but uses disruptive patterns unlike the appearance of a shark’s normal prey.”

The latter of these two designs, referred to as the “warning” suit is apparently more suitable for surfers. According to Hamish Jolly, who operates S.A.M.S with Craig Anderson [not Craig Anderson the professional surfer], “The “warning” wetsuit, which is more geared towards swimmers and surfers, uses bold patterns and shapes to overtly present the wearer as unlike any shark prey or even as an unpalatable or dangerous food option.”

The scientific evidence behind the designs comes from research conducted by the University of West Australia, which has long been considered a world leader in the field. Much of the primary work was conducted in the lab and focused heavily on understanding the visual capacity of the sharks. This information was then employed by professors Shaun Collin and Nathan Hart, from UWA’s Ocean Institute, to create designs which aimed to disrupt the visual perception of sharks.

However, no one was ever going to be entirely convinced about the validity of shark-deterrent suit without testing it in an ocean setting.

In January this year the team from UWA spent four days testing the suits off the coast of north-west Australia. According to Mr Jolly the most exciting moment for the research team occurred when a tiger shark circled a dummy covered in the “cryptic” design, which helps make the wearer less visible to the shark, for six minutes before deciding to attack a dummy covered in traditional black neoprene.

Bob Lushey from Radiator wetsuits was one of those present on the boat when the open water testing was conducted. “When the group from S.A.M.S first contacted me about the idea, I have to admit I was a little skeptical,” admits Bob.

“However, when I witnessed the live test I was like ‘Whoa, this really works’. We had about 30 scientists on board that day and I think we got 30 orders right then.” Radiator, who have always prided themselves on being at the cutting edge of wetsuit innovation, are the first company to implement the S.A.M.S design to their suits. Pre-orders are already available online now at https://radiator.net/ and wetsuits featuring the shark deterrent designs will be in stores by September.

When asked if he thinks the designs should be subjected to more rigorous testing before being made available for commercial release, Bob adopts a practical vantage point. “If we were really trying to say something absolutely definitive then we would be twenty five years away. But there’s enough data and enough science there now to say why not have a go.”

When pressed on whether he’s concerned about potentially giving someone a false sense of confidence, Bob is matter of fact. “We don’t claim it’s a cure all, but even if the distinctive design confuses the shark for long enough to be seen by someone and they get out in time, then it’s working.”

While Radiator and S.A.M.S are both adamant that they will continue their research, there’s a sense that if there is solid evidence to support doing something now, then why not make the product available to the general public; particularly given the current climate. In a 10-month period up to July 2012, five people were likely killed by great white sharks off the coast of WA – enough to have the region dubbed the ‘shark attack capital’ of the world. Coupled with an increased number of sightings, the above statistics have had a major impact on the surfing culture in WA, and unless you’ve surfed there recently it’s difficult to understand how significantly it’s affected the psychology of the surfing experience. “The fear of sharks is spoiling everyone’s fun,” suggests Bob. We want everyone to be able to get out there and enjoy some peace of mind.”

Skeptics will likely question the new suits, while purists will argue that we are in the sharks’ environment and should simply accept the risk. However, camouflage and distinctive coloring have been used by animal and fish species to avoid predators since the beginning of time. It was this kind of anecdotal evidence, which inspired the S.A.M.S research in the first place and maybe it makes plain sense to be taking our aquatic fashion advice from the fish who have always avoided becoming shark prey?