---
title: "Hamish Jolly: A shark-deterrent wetsuit (and it's not what you think)"
description: "Hamish Jolly, an ocean swimmer in Australia, wanted a wetsuit that would deter a curious shark from mistaking him for a potential source of nourishment."
url: https://www.mathys.to/writing/inspiration/hamish-jolly-a-shark-deterrent-wetsuit-and-its-not-what-you-think-11839/
section: inspiration
published: 2016-07-29
last_updated: 2026-05-04
---

# Hamish Jolly: A shark-deterrent wetsuit (and it's not what you think)

*Hamish Jolly, an ocean swimmer in Australia, wanted a wetsuit that would deter a curious shark from mistaking him for a potential source of nourishment.*

<div class="embed embed-iframe"><iframe src="https://embed-ssl.ted.com/talks/hamish_jolly_a_shark_deterrent_wetsuit_and_it_s_not_what_you_think.html" width="100%" height="360" frameborder="0" loading="lazy"></iframe></div>

Hamish Jolly, an ocean swimmer in Australia, wanted a wetsuit that would deter a curious shark from mistaking him for a potential source of nourishment. (Which, statistically, is rare, but certainly a fate worth avoiding.) Working with a team of scientists, he and his friends came up with a fresh approach — not a shark cage, not a suit of chain-mail, but a sleek suit that taps our growing understanding of shark vision.

![](https://static.tagthelove.com/cms/250_972c665ed6693781_1280box.jpg)