FREEDOM7 | Powered by Shark Shield Technology | Diving | Spearfishing | Kayaking | Scuba Diving | Proven Shark Deterrent | Dive Equipment

I use this when I bodysurf alone or at night in Hawaiʻi. There was a string of shark attacks and sightings in 2023, when I figured it’s less expensive to purchase this device than a prosthetic limb…It’s definitely not made for bodysurfing because I occasionally will get shocked by the antenna and it’s a bit clumsy to swim with; but it works well for 1. peace of mind2. Shocking snaking surfers on a wave3. An icebreakerI don’t use it every time I bodysurf, and I switch between using SharkBanz and this product since tiger sharks are the main culprit of bites in Hawai’i.

I know there is no 100% guarantee protection, against aggressive sharks, I still avoid murky water. But I swim with greater confidence and peace of mind. It does take a little getting used to having a 6 foot antenna dangling off your ankle. But after about 30 minutes, I was able to sort of ignore that it was there. if you do accidentally touch one of the electrodes. Like I did while I was adjusting the strap after swimming about 20 minutes. The shock is not significant but it does tingle kind of like a tens unit. The drag in the water while swimming slows me down about 10%. A small tax for peace of mind.The craftsmanship and quality of the strap of the battery enclosure of the wire connectors and of the antenna are top notch.Bottom line I would buy it again.

Your life is worth $600, right? I spear fish all the time and every now and then I see big white sharks. Once, off Kona, this shield kept a curious, large and aggressive requiem shark from getting too close to me while spear fishing. While shark attacks are rare, they are not so rare for those few of us that frequently hunt and dive solo far off shore. This is the world’s only effective shark repellant and even it is not 100 percent. Still, it’s nice to have it on when I’m hunting for lobster or bringing in a big bloody fish over a 1000 plus foot swim to get back to shore. If you dive often enough, you will eventually encounter one of the bad sharks. I recommend having a shark shield on when you do.

I bought my Freedom7 on Amazon for about $500, in September 2013. I used it on a weekly--sometimes daily--basis for about 2 years until the battery gave out, three years or so ago. To replace the battery, I discovered at the time that the device required a proprietary battery, and that customers were supposed to send their device back to the company for servicing, because, according to the company's website, only *they* had the proprietary replacement battery, and only *they* could replace the custom o-ring seals, and only *they* had the special "torque wrench" needed to know how much to tighten bolts, etc. The cost for this exclusive servicing, at the time, was $350 !!! ...A punch in the gut, as one might imagine, which caused me to delay this unwelcome and dubious expenditure... for 3 years or so.Come January 2019, I have just discovered that the company is no longer servicing "1st gen" Freedom 7s ( GU1000A ) like mine, because, according to their website, they "don't stock the parts" for it ( including those $0.20 o-ring rubber seals, I presume ). End result: thanks to this planned obsolescence ploy, my costly Freedom 7 is now a paper weight. I fear this is the fate awaiting current buyers, when the company conveniently "obsoletes" their model in the not too distant future!Quoting their website:"The FREEDOM7 (model # GU1000A) and SCUBA7 (model # DU1000A) with the electronics housed in a clear case like the above images are our older models of the current FREEDOM7 and the SCUBA7 dive products. These older models were obsoleted over 5 years ago and unfortunately spare components are no longer available for them. As such, Ocean Guardian is unable to provide a repair service for these products. The FREEDOM7 (version C) and the SCUBA7 (version C) are the latest models for these products and feature a better battery performance and a battery life indicator."Buyers beware:Considering I bought mine in late 2013 ( Sept ), and that they claim in the quote above that they “obsoleted” it 5 years ago, this means that my Freedom7 was obsolete a mere 4 months after I bought it! Furthermore, as far as I can tell, there isn't a ton of difference between the previous and newer models, besides the color of the plastic ( clear for the old Freedom7s, blue for the new ones ! ). The form factor is identical, and I am fairly sure even the electronics are not so dissimilar, nor so complex, as to warrant "obsoleting" anything ( note: the device merely outputs an intermittent electrical pulse through its antenna, similar to an electrical cow fence – it’s not rocket science, and the circuit board is fairly plain ). ...Certainly not enough complexity and differences to stop stocking parts for previous models, including those mysterious red "o-rings" ( likely silicone ) and "proprietary” batteries ( 3 supremely generic Sanyo / Panasonic UF103450P, packed in series--3S1P--, total cost: $20 USD or less ). ...Pleaaaase!!!One more thing : since the company is putting previous owners out to pasture, the least they could do is provide electrical diagrams, parts lists, and assembly/disassembly instructions for customers able and willing to service their device themselves, considering they are given no recourse in the matter ( other than submitting to the company's preferred 'planned obsolescence' route ).-----------------------------------------------------------UPDATE:I replaced the battery with a new one, but it turns out that the problem was not the battery. So, I inspected all 13 diodes (marked with a "D") and 15 transistors/mosfets (marked with a "Q") with a multimeter and noticed that five gave me suspicious readings while connected to the board (Q15, Q38, D9, D14 and D15, on my GU1000A). I desoldered and tested D9 and D14, which both turned out fine on their own, before resoldering them back in. I then desoldered Q38, a small P-Channel transistor near the NEC 501S--eprom?--chip, for further testing: Q38 turned out fine on its own, again. On a whim, I plugged the battery with only Q38 missing, and lo! The Sharkshield appears to be working as well as turning off fine--which it wasn't before (the red LED would stay on for a while, even after switching it off; and when turning it on, it used to cut off abruptly, with the blinking green light--meaning: 'standby for immersion'--turning to red after 15mn or so, along with a strident audio beep signaling an error). Go figure! I am thinking maybe the NEC chip was the problem--battery cycle counter? ...We'll never know without schematics! Important: there are two big 200V capacitors in parallel, delivering at least 125V / 2.5 Amps when charged. These caps could be deadly if you touch them, or the flat electrodes they are connected to in the front of the circuit board, while charged (note: the caps will hold a charge for a while, even after switching off the device). So beware!Hints: To open the case, you don't need a spanner screwdriver: a regular cheap table fork with 2 of the 4 tines broken off will do. Also, you will need some silicone grease (good brand: Trident), to reapply to the gasket, after cleaning it with IPA alcohol. If replacing the battery, I recommend soldering some 2-pin JST connectors, to make plugging and unplugging the battery easier.

I have owned 5 of these units to date. Customer service is abysmal and overall quality is poor. Of the 5 i have owned all have stopped working or had water intrusion into the internals. Not expecting this to get any better ad the company has since filed for bankruptcy. These units do work well and give piece of kind. In my experience the sharks stay and will continue to circle, but tend to turn as soon as they enter the electric field. If you are looking for an effective shark deterrent this product works, but buyers beware it is highly likely the unit will stop working on you mysteriously and there is no recourse for fixing or exchanging. Sharks I had noted as deterred: bull, reef, sandbar, lemon and dusky.Quality sucks (5 dead sharkshields in the garage), but overall product does work as advertised.

My husband has been spearfishing for over 20 years and would have never purchased this, thinking of it as a gimmick, even though sharks have become an increasing problem in the last several years in the northeast Gulf where he dives. He thought he was just going to have to get used to dealing with them and hope that it was just a temporary thing. However, a friend who is new to spearfishing (and definitely intimidated by the sharks) did purchase one. The two of them recently went diving with two other friends. The sharks immediately became a problem for the first-in-the-water diver, who was not using the product. My husband decided to wear it, got two fish and saw no sharks. The first diver was able to keep only one of the three fish that he shot because of the sharks. On subsequent dives, the friends took turns wearing the product, and the diver who was using it had absolutely no problem with sharks although the others did. They are all believers! My husband immediately purchased his own. Very exciting to think that they have an effective and simple way to deal with this problem!

no new. buyer be where