The Monofin: Will High-Tech Tail Help Phelps Beat a Great White Shark?

During a race with a great white shark, for the Discovery Channel's "Shark Week,"

Michael Phelps will sport a shark tail — a high-tech monofin. Credit: Discovery Channel Michael Phelps is going to race a great white shark, and marine biologists are betting on the shark. The ultimate reason boils down to physics. To get a leg (or tail) up during Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" episode, Phelps will wear a custom-made mechanical fin on his feet that mimic's a great white's tail. This so-called monofin, made by Lunocet, displaces water more efficiently than human feet do, and it should add several miles per hour to Phelps' speed, according to the company. [See Photos of Great White Sharks Breaching the Water's Surface]