From Haole To Hero: The Life of Big Wave Surfer Laird Hamilton

He Said Women’s Periods Attract Sharks…

Photo Credit: Michael Buckner/Getty Images

When you’re in the public eye as much as someone like Laird Hamilton, you’re bound to slip up every now and then. When Laird was spending time in Malibu, where they have a home, a TMZ reporter stopped him in a parking lot and asked him about shark attacks.

Laird replied, “The biggest, most common reason to be bitten is a woman with her period. People don’t even think about that. Obviously, if a woman has her period, then there’s a certain amount of blood in the water.” Popular Science quickly stepped up to debunk Laird’s claim. Executive Director of the Shark Research Institue, Marie Levine, stated, “I’ve been diving for decades and even got my period while underwater with a school of hammerheads. The sharks were not interested and I had to fin like crazy to get close to them.”