Bethany Hamilton, a surfer and shark attack survivor, has been criticized for promoting a product that promises to deter ocean predators, but critics say the device has little or no effect.
Hamilton, 34, who was attacked by a 14-foot shark while surfing in 2003 and had her left arm amputated, posted a video on her Instagram page Monday promoting Sharkbanz, wearable devices intended to deter sharks and other ocean predators using an electromagnetic system. field.
“Sharkbanz is designed to help you overcome your fear of sharks and minimize risk,” the video said, with a clip of her surfing. “I encourage you to overcome and have fun.”
But the mother of four quickly found herself inundated with negative reactions to the video, with many viewers taking issue not only with the device’s alleged capabilities, but also with her support for it as a victim of a shark attack.
Surfer Bethany Hamilton, 34, has been criticized for promoting Sharkbanz
One person noted the recent spate of shark attacks in Florida and wrote that it was “incredibly insensitive to try to capitalize on fear.”
Others shared their beliefs stating that it would not adequately protect those in the water, with one person stating that a Sharkbanz “most likely has little to no effect.”
Another compared the products to “those scam bracelets that supposedly bring good vibes into your life,” while a fourth mocked the devices as “gimmicks,” such as “shark repellents or even thinking that certain colors attract sharks.”
“The real bottom line is… if you’re that afraid of sharks, don’t go in the water,” he wrote.
Josh Schellenberg, an underwater photographer who frequently takes close-up photos of sharks, also said Sharkbanz are “great for a false sense of security.”
The company says its $128 devices create powerful electromagnetic fields that alert the shark’s sensory organ “to stay away.”
Hamilton is now partnering with Sharkbanz on its first Signature Edition line of its Sharkbanz 2 product and “to promote mindfulness in all areas of our lives,” according to the company’s website.
Critics claim that wearable devices have little or no effect on reducing shark attacks.
But Schellenberg noted that in 2016, a Zack Davis, a 16-year-old South Florida surfer, was wearing one of the devices when a blacktip shark attacked him and bit his right arm.
“It was supposed to keep sharks away, and the first time I used it I got bit,” Davis told CBS 12 of the device you received for Christmas.
He spent 24 hours in the hospital and had to receive 44 stitches.
Schellenberg also claimed that one of his friends was testing the products and ended up “hand-feeding” the sharks.
“When that didn’t stop the sharks from approaching him, he fed one and rubbed another’s nose,” Schellenberg wrote.
‘The sharks didn’t care that I was wearing it!’
At that time, another responded that he studies natural magnets and electromagnets, and reviewed some research on Sharkbanz.
“Realistically (ally), the shark would have to be smaller and literally up against him to feel any kind of sensation.”
Another Instagram user said it was “incredibly insensitive” of Hamilton to “take advantage of the fear instilled” by the recent shark attacks in Florida.
In fact, a 2018 Peer Reviewed Study determined that Sharkbanz “had limited or no effect on white shark behavior.”
And Daryl McPhee, an associate professor at Bond University in Australia who received government funding to study unprovoked shark attacks. he told Forbes that Sharkbanz and other similar devices have been subjected to “only limited independent testing” showing “a very limited deterrent effect.”
Sharkbanz executives, however, have defended their products; Co-founder Nathan Garrison told DailyMail.com that hundreds of customers have had “amazing experiences” and have said the devices “possibly saved their lives.”
He noted that the company has already been around for 10 years and said scientists spent two decades perfecting the technology.
t The company has hours of footage showing its products deterring sharks, including a 10-foot-long hammerhead shark, he said.
“Several people have called me to tell me that the product possibly saved their lives and expressed their sincerest gratitude,” he told Forbes.
“Navy SEALs, Coast Guard Rescue, and foreign military operations use Sharkbanz because they have seen the effects and enjoyed the benefits.”
Sharkbanz claims its devices produce powerful electromagnetic fields that alert a shark’s sensory organ to “stay away.”
Garrison also claimed that Davis accidentally landed near the shark after it fell into a wave and provoked it when he was bitten in 2016, and argued that the 2018 peer-reviewed study was flawed.
He claimed it was funded by one of his competitors, who also helped design the experiments, which he claimed did not apply the product correctly.
The bait the scientists used was a tuna gill, which can be very attractive to a shark, and the device was placed too far from the bait to be effective.
“The intent is not to stop a white shark from eating a tuna head when it’s right in front of it,” Garrison said, arguing that the study should be taken “with a grain of salt.”
Other “extensive” studies, he said, have shown the products are successful in deterring sharks.
“It is a proven fact beyond a reasonable doubt that our products (and strong permanent magnets) create avoidance behavior in sharks,” Garrison told DailyMail.com. “This is indisputable.”
Still, he admitted that the devices are not 100% effective and “never will be.”
“But I’d rather use something that’s proven to reduce my chances than rely on luck alone,” he said.
DailyMail.com has approached Hamilton for comment.
