Lately we’ve been hearing a lot more shark stories in California, and with wide-eyed fascination we listen to recounts of near misses and direct hits while we Google for YouTube footage and set the viral world ablaze with our version of what happened to “someone we know.” As with any outdoor sport, the story of the journey becomes as important as the actual event, and the equipment we take with us, or lack there of, often sparks a major event–planned or not.

Enter the HECS wetsuit from Xcel Wetsuits. In June Xcel nailed down a patent on a genius form of stealthscreen technology created by HECS that can be integrated into textiles. It’s a technology, they say, that may reduce aggression from sea life. Made of conductive carbon fiber specially woven in a uniquely spaced pattern, it blocks the faint electric signals given off by living things (i.e. humans) that many species of fish can detect, including sharks, who use their sense of electroreception to hone in on prey.

Reengineering the fabric into neoprene, Xcel has just launched its Next Generation HECS Wetsuit Series featuring an inner lining that they say enhances your ability to get closer to marine life, making the future adventures of spear fishermen, underwater photographers, and divers that much more interesting. Offered in a variety of thicknesses, and for both men and women, this wetsuit is destined to become the new protagonist in many tall tales to come. Who knows, maybe yours will be the one about the day when, armed with your Xcel HECS wetsuit, you outwitted a shark! We’ll be here, eagerly waiting to hear all about it. –Crishana Haynes