How to stop sharks attacking surfers? Scientist has lightbulb moment

A Sydney surfer and scientist believes she may have seen the light in the quest to reduce the risk of sharks to humans.

Dr Laura Ryan, a biologist with a love of catching waves, has long pondered how surfers might avoid sharks. She has discovered that attaching lights to what they perceive as prey appears to deter them.

Ryan, whose research involves getting into the minds of big sharks by studying their senses, began her research by wondering if there was a way to fool them into avoiding humans.

Ryan, centre, and the team spent hundreds of hours attracting the attention of great whites in South Africa

Knowing that sharks have poor eyesight and commonly attack surfers because they confuse their surface silhouettes with sea creatures such as seals, Ryan decided to exploit the predators’ visual weakness.

She conducted experiments to break up