I finished my surf session at my home break and the regular crew was asking me about the horrible attack on a woman in San Onofre earlier this year. They know that I study sharks and were anxious to get my opinion. “I heard she was on her period”, said one guy I really didn’t know with an impish smirk. The other fellas and me all gave simultaneous eye rolls and groans. I relieved that most my male friends realized just how absurd the comment was. I know there is hope to replace fear with facts about sharks.
Let me set the record straight for you. WOMEN DON’T ATTRACT SHARKS. I can tell you this with the highest confidence. Whether a woman’s cycle brings a light or a very heavy flow, we do not attract sharks when our Monthly Bill is due.
Recently, Laird Hamilton mistakenly claimed that a woman on her period is at a higher risk of a shark attack. Laird is someone I truly admire for his abilities as a waterman. He is a world-class athlete that few can compare to. He is not, however, a marine scientist nor is he an expert on women’s bodies. That is not a slight or trying to diss him. Let me just reiterate my admiration for him as I know someone may comment and mansplain to me how much time he has spent in the water and tell me I have a lot of nerve to question him.
In one article examining the statement by Hamilton they interviewed two experts. Dr. Chris Lowe explained that the flow is negligible and doesn’t attract sharks. Ralph Collier cited research on attracting sharks and found that they aren’t interested in menstrual blood. Both are scientists I respect. I’ve met Dr. Lowe and talked sharks with him. Also, I consider Ralph Collier a friend and have spent five days on a boat with him cage diving with Great White sharks in Mexico and will be doing so again later this year. I was delighted that they gave the facts about this silly myth. They both work diligently to replace fear with facts, as I do. There is another great source here that explains in more detaill why the notion of women attracting sharks is absurd.
I expect that there will be detractors that comment on my qualifications to speak about this. Yes, I know that sharks can detect small amounts of blood in water. Yes, I have heard that certain land animals seem to be attracted to women during that time of the month because of pheromones emitted. Still, I am here to tell you that women do not attract sharks - ever! A man (or anyone) with hemorrhoids would also be at the same risk if this were the case.
How do I know? Since I’m sure some will need to see fancy degrees and experience to consider me a reliable source, here it goes: I’m a middle-aged woman that has spent decades in the ocean. Swimming, surfing, scuba diving, jet skiing, sailing, etc. For nearly half of my life I’ve been involved in marine research. My undergraduate degree is a double major; chemistry and marine science. I have a Master’s degree in biomedical science. I spent many years at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida in the shark tank cleaning algae from the glass, was a field biologist for public tours, and on the Marine Animal Stranding Team (so, guess what - a period doesn’t affect the behavior of marine mammals either, but that’s another article). I was next to Hammerheads while doing fish counts on the artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico. I’ve spent years surfing every single morning at dawn in the Pacific Ocean - every single morning. That means light flow days and heavy flow days for those of you keeping track. I’ve been scuba diving with Tiger, Nurse, and White Tips in Fiji and in the cage diving with massive Great Whites in Mexico. This is just a sampling of how much sea time I have. Oh yeah, and I work as a shark researcher now.
It isn’t just me - there are a multitude of women that I know who work in marine research. Women who are in the water daily over many years. Also, there are hundreds more that surf every morning or very frequently here along the coast in Southern California, whether or not they have to wear feminine hygiene products.
Yeah, I know someone will comment that their friend’s sister or some physician or other person they consider an authority will dispute what I am saying and try to relate something that is not connected to shark attacks whatsoever. Just remember that Dr. Chris Lowe - a PhD shark researcher and Ralph Collier, researching sharks for 50 years, and science all agree with me. Let the mansplaining begin if you must but I’ll leave you with this: WOMEN DON’T ATTRACT SHARKS. We need to stop demonizing sharks and creating so much fear. An ocean without sharks is far scarier than an ocean without them. They need our conservation and protection.