Google bolsters underwater cables to combat shark bites

KGO logo
Friday, August 15, 2014
A shark biting into one of Google's underwater, fiber optic cables.
A shark biting into one of Google's underwater, fiber optic cables.
KGO-KGO

A series of shark attacks is forcing Google to reinforce its underwater, fiber optic cables with a Kevlar-like casing.

The cables carry Internet data across the globe at one gigabyte per second. Each cable already has a series of layers to protect against impact and movement that could break the glass fibers inside. However, sharks are biting into the cables.

The magnetic field created by the high voltage in the cables resembles that of a moving fish.