Google said it'll invest US$300 million in an underwater fiber optic cable system that will use special material to protect the vulnerable data cable from shark attacks.

Kevlar, the same tough material spun into bulletproof vests and puncture-proof materials, will protect from shark bites the cable of FASTER, the planned trans-Pacific submarine communications cable.

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FASTER, which will have a capacity of 60 terabits per second, will span the Pacific Ocean from Chikura and Shima in Japan to California. Its enormous length will give sharks ample opportunity to attack and gnaw at the cable that lies exposed on the ocean floor.

Google will wrap the FASTER cable in a polyethylene yarn and steel wire shield that should provide protection from shark bites.

FASTER is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2016.

It's still not clear why sharks attack underwater cables, however. One theory is that sharks are attracted to the electric field surrounding submarine cables.

There are a number of incidents where sharks attacked undersea data cables and it's been a problem for decades.

The first recorded cable attack happened in 1989 when scientists confirmed a shark attacked an experimental underwater data cable off the Canary Islands.

Strangely enough, sharks seem picky in the kinds of cable they chomp on. There are about 60,000 miles of old underwater cables made from copper and not a single shark took a bite out of them, said James Barrett, a former deputy director of international engineering for AT&T.

Sharks seem to prefer gnawing on fiber optic cables as opposed to copper cables. Scientists believe fiber optic cables emit a deep sea electric current that triggers a feeding response or a feeding reflex from sharks.

Sharks possess voltage sensors in their mouths to help them find prey. Fiber optic cables could be emitting a confusing signal that makes sharks think the cables are food.

Sharks could also like snacking on cables because they're curious, believes Chris Lowe, one of the founders of Shark Lab in California.

Low surmises that if sharks encounter a long piece of plastic that resembles a cable, they'll probably bite on it, too.

Also just in time for Discovery Channel's Shark Week series, Google humorously confirmed this news with a tweet last Thursday, saying that their next step is to protect the internet from "sharknados," referring to the disaster B-movie, Sharknado.

Apart from shark attacks, underwater data cables are also susceptible to ship anchor damage and earthquakes. 

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