Shark repellent system

A method of repelling sharks which comprises:

• deploying a shark repellent system comprising:
• a shark repellent barrier configured to be positioned in an ocean and which includes
• a plurality of electronic pods configured to be spaced apart in a row of the pods along a length of the barrier, wherein each pod has an electrode of a plurality of electrodes attached thereto, the electrode of said each pod being configured to extend substantially vertically from said each pod through a water, in use, the barrier thus defining the row of the pods and the electrodes, and the pods being configured to apply electrical pulses to the electrodes to form an electric field between the electrodes that are adjacent, wherein the barrier is configured to generate an electric field strength, at a distance of 1 m, of at least 1 V·m−1 substantially along the length of the barrier to repel sharks from a vicinity of the electrodes,
• a supply cable for supplying electrical power to the pods, said each pod being connected to the supply cable, and
• a mooring arrangement for securing the barrier to a structure, vessel or coastal feature;
• a controller connected to the barrier via the supply cable and/or the mooring arrangement, wherein the controller is configured to transmit firing instructions to the pods in order to coordinate the electrical pulses generated, and is configured to monitor operation and/or status of the pods;
• and
• at least one remote device wirelessly connected to the controller, wherein the at least one remote device is configured to permit a user of the at least one remote device to:
• remotely activate and deactivate the barrier, the pods individually, and/or the controller,
• check feedback from the controller regarding the operation and/or the status of the pods, and
• carry out testing of the barrier and/or the controller,
• such that the shark repellent barrier of the system is installed in the ocean;
• generating the electric field to repel the sharks from the vicinity of the barrier;
• and
• controlling and monitoring the barrier using the controller and the at least one remote device of the system.