The $495 full-body wetsuit is colored to look like the ocean, patterned in white and various shades of blue. The company that introduced it this week, Shark Attack Mitigation Systems, also makes stickers with similar patterns that can be applied to surfboards, dive tanks, and kayaks. (Related: "New Invisibility Cloak Closer to Working 'Magic.'")

But even if the wetsuit is visually effective, it may not prevent a shark from detecting the person wearing it. That's because sharks rely on other senses—smell, taste, and an ability to detect sounds, such as that of bubbles released by a diver's gear—more than sight. In fact, research done by the University of Western Australia's Oceans Institute shows that 17 species of sharks, including