West, J. 1996. White shark attacks in Australian waters. One new approach to deter sharks is to generate electromagnetic fields near a diver. Sharks are very sensitive to these fields and use them to localize their prey and navigate. However, they may be startled by a sudden increase in an electrical field.
Sharks also withdraw from sounds that have a sudden onset.
However, to produce a withdrawal response, the chemical had to be delivered into the mouth cavity. Nelson, D.R. and W.R. Strong, Jr. 1996. Chemical repellent tests on white sharks, with comments on repellent delivery methods.