Bite-resistant wetsuits show promise in reducing shark-bite injuries, study finds

PORTLAND, Maine — Australian scientists say bite-resistant wetsuits can reduce injuries from shark bites, though they do not prevent bites. In a study published in Wildlife Research, Flinders University researchers described testing four materials—Aqua Armour, Shark Stop, ActionTX-S and Brewster—by attaching samples to boats and allowing white and tiger sharks to bite them. The team said the goal was to determine whether newer materials could lessen the severity of injuries when a bite occurs, which could help people who spend time in waters where large sharks are present. The work also comes as unprovoked shark bites remain rare globally; the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File recorded fewer than 50 such incidents in 2024. The researchers noted that bites from large sharks can still cause serious injuries, but the materials showed potential to reduce damage beyond what a standard neoprene wetsuit can offer.

All four tested materials reduced the amount of substantial and critical damage compared with standard neoprene, the researchers reported. The bites from large sharks can still cause internal and crushing injuries, but the materials demonstrated effectiveness beyond a typical wetsuit. Flinders University professor Charlie Huveneers, a co-author of the study, said bite-resistant materials cannot prevent shark bites but can reduce injuries and can be worn by surfers and divers. Tom Clarke, a researcher with Flinders University, added that the four materials all reduced substantial and critical damage—injuries typically associated with severe hemorrhaging and tissue or limb loss.

The study notes that chainmail suits designed to resist shark bites have existed for decades but lack the flexibility required for activities such as surfing and diving. Newer wetsuit designs could offer both protection and mobility, the researchers said, potentially expanding the options available to people who frequently encounter large sharks. The four materials tested were Aqua Armour, Shark Stop, ActionTX-S and Brewster, and the paper stated that all of them offered an improved level of protection that can reduce severe wounds and blood loss and should be considered as part of a toolbox of measures to reduce shark-bite risk and injuries.

Industry observers outside the study welcomed the findings as encouraging for people who spend substantial time in waters with large sharks, such as surfers and spearfishers. Nick Whitney, a senior scientist and chair of the Fisheries Science and Emerging Technologies Program at the New England Aquarium’s Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life in Boston, noted that the results are promising but should not give swimmers a false sense of invulnerability. He said the approach is simple and does not rely on altering shark behavior: in the unlikely event of a bite, the material could help reduce bleeding compared with not wearing it.

The researchers cautioned that the wetsuits do not eliminate all risk from sharks, and conventional safety precautions around large predators remain important. They emphasized that the suits should be viewed as a complement to existing measures and that further work is needed to refine materials for real-world use. Huveneers said the findings offer a practical option that swimmers and divers can consider, expanding the available choices to reduce the severity of injuries during encounters with large sharks. In sum, the study presents bite-resistant wetsuits as a potentially valuable addition to the safety toolbox, rather than a guaranteed shield against shark encounters.