Shark Patrol in Sydney Harbor
Australians were expecting a gold medal in the men's triathlon, but Canadian Simon Whitfield won that grueling
three-sport race.
America's best, Hunter Kemper, finished 17th.
The swimming portion of the race went right through the Sydney Harbor, and that created some extra worries for Olympic organizers.
The waters surrounding Australia are infamous for sharks that lurk beneath. So as men and women triathletes dove into the
Sydney Harbor, organizers wanted to make sure that while the athletes are chasing gold, nothing is chasing them.
So,
police riding jet skis are not the only things patrolling Sydney Harbor. Six divers, wearing devices designed to send out an
electro magnetic field, rode propelled scooters beneath the triathletes. The devices are designed to confuse the navigation of the
sharks.
One triathlete says, "Sharks are completely the last thing on your mind. You're thinking about racing. You're thinking about the gold medal. The sharks kind of add a fun element to it. I've said if I see a shark in the Harbor, you can definitely count on that my swim time will be considerably faster than normal."
A shark in the water would definitely be a motivating factor to swim fast.
Now history tells us that there has never been a recorded shark attack in the Harbor during September. But organizers took
no chances.
We're happy to report their efforts were successful.
Thanks to the Shark Patrol, all got through the water safely.
