Truth about sharks and periods

[miss_scuba]

I wonder what do you all think:

do sharks get attracted to female blood or they can sense the difference between injury blood and the period?

 

[Walter]

do sharks get attracted to female blood

The definitive answer is no one knows for sure. Different sources that should know give different answers. My guess is the effect is minimum.

or they can sense the difference between injury blood and the period?

I'm pretty sure they can tell the difference.

 

[SCUBAJENNIFER]

It's the same blood...Menstrual blood just has uterine tissue in it

I was in Tahiti on my period, we dived with sometimes hundreds of sharks per day, I never noticed them paying any special attention to me as opposed to my 2 lovely dutch boatmates.

I don't really think they are attracted to human blood. Now if you had fish bits, they were all over you.

 

[Rhone Man]

I was always taught growing up that menstrual blood did not excite sharks in the same way, but I can't remember how or why. Being a typical man, I have to say it didn't attract my attention that much.

 

[adurso]

Human blood is human blood as pointed out by Scubajennifer. Sharks evolved to eat fish, fish blood attracts them. Some sharks evolved to eat mammals. Mammal blood interests them. Sharks are opportunistic feeders, anything different in their environment draws attention as it may be food. Anything different also is cause for caution on the part of large predators because different may hurt them and then they could not feed and so on with the circle of life.

 

[sololady]

I would be interested in this topic if ANYONE could verify one single incident of an attack by a shark on a woman who was menstruating with other variables excluded such that the leaking of her dead vaginal fluid and tissue was the reason for an attack.

All my research indicates that it is not an issue. However, I do know that many men who are avid spear fishermen have plenty of experience with competitors for their catch. I advise them to let the catch go to the more dangerous predator. The smart ones do.

I hate it that so many less experienced lady divers and their SOs are so worried about this! I have had MANY women ask me about it.

Ladies...worry about the sharks on the boat when you are giving off pheromones, not the ones in the water.

 

[sololady]

OBTW...

If you don't know who my dear friend Dick Rutkowski is...shame on you...every diver should. Just Google him up. And then send him an email. Hint: If you are a NAUI Nitrox diver his name may have been on your test. Hint to medical pros...hyperbaric training and CEUs.

 

[Walter]

I hate it that so many less experienced lady divers and their SOs are so worried about this! I have had MANY women ask me about it.

You should expect it. Almost everyone has heard that sharks are attracked to blood. I think it's great that so many folks ask rather than assume they can't dive.

OBTW...

If you don't know who my dear friend Dick Rutkowski is...shame on you...every diver should. Just Google him up. And then send him an email. Hint: If you are a NAUI Nitrox diver his name may have been on your test. Hint to medical pros...hyperbaric training and CEUs.

Speaking of sharks on the boat........

 

[ReefGuy]

However, I do know that many men who are avid spear fishermen have plenty of experience with competitors for their catch. I advise them to let the catch go to the more dangerous predator. The smart ones do.

I must not be smart because I absolutely disagree with this. So do many other spearos. No shark is going to get my catch easily. That's just training them to associate divers with food. Any shark that comes after my catch is going to learn that I'm another apex predator, and another meal choice would be a better alternative. Same goes for jewfish, which around here are much more common and just as agressive as a shark.

Giving up my catch would be an absolute last choice.

 

[drbill]

My understanding (as a scientist) is that even sharks who prey on marine mammals can detect the difference between their blood and that of a human. I'm just not sure how close the sharks need to be before they note the difference! Hopefully well before the exploratory bump or bite!

I'd feel much more comfortable diving with a woman during her time of the month than with a spearo who has taken and is carrying fish (although I do dive with several of them).