Surfer says women on their period are shark bait

As women, there’s already a lot to deal with when it comes to our periods.

Crippling cramps, unpredictable mood swings, general feelings of grossness… and now there’s another thing to add to the list – being the target of shark attack.

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Well, that’s according to US surfing legend Laird Hamilton anyways.

TMZ Sports tracked down the veteran waverider in Malibu and he had some interesting theories about who’s most at risk when it comes to being bitten by a shark.

“Most shark attacks are not fatal, it’s usually mistaken identity,” Laird explained.

“The biggest, most common reason to be bitten is a woman with her period, which people don’t even think about that. Obviously if a woman has her period, there’s a certain amount of blood in the water.”

Before you hang up your bikini and shun beach swims for all eternity, it seems statistics tell a different story.

A 2015 report in the Sydney Morning Herald claims that since 1941 there have been 1132 recorded shark attacks in Australia, of which 968 involved men, and only 64 women.

While gender wasn’t recorded for all the attacks, and that number is sure to be slightly higher now, we’re guessing the gender ratio is probably pretty similar.

We’ll leave it with you to make a decision about whether you feel safe in the water or not…

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