Making waves in surfer safety
Kraken Systems is a science-led conservation enterprise spun out of Macquarie, developing the world’s first surfboard-mounted lighting system designed as a non-lethal solution to reduce the risk of shark bites on humans.
Kraken Systems
Our mission is to keep people in the ocean safely while reinvesting profit into marine conservation and shark research.
With incidents on the rise and following recent events, a science-based solution that keeps both people and wildlife safe, – by making nets, drumlines and culling less necessary – has never been more urgent.
Grounded in more than a decade of peer-reviewed research in shark sensory biology, the system uses high-intensity LEDs in specific patterns to break up the surfboard’s silhouette when viewed from below, reducing a key visual trigger for white sharks, the species responsible for most fatal attacks.
We are progressing from a validated prototype towards commercialisation, with both:
- an embedded surfboard product
- an aftermarket stick-on kit.
A founding partnership with one of the surf industry’s most respected figures ensures the technology doesn’t compromise surfboard performance.
It also carries the surf culture credibility essential for widespread adoption, the foundation for the social and conservation change we’re working toward.