Surfing During Menstruation

Ok, sort of an embarrassing question so I hope the guys can keep the jokes to themselves!! But anyway, do you women avoid surfing while you are on your period? So I guess there are two things I'm wondering about. The first is the whole shark thing. Is there any truth to this? Here is one link that kind of scares me (#4 under How can I avoid being attacked by a shark?) ...

http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/education ... html#avoid

The second thing is, if you do surf, do you usually wear a wetsuit and not boardshoarts?

Thank you for any advice!

Oh I forgot I also came across another link at Surfline where this question was asked but only for the shark thing. They referred to a unviersity professor or something and they actually said that human blood did not attract sharks. Sounds kind of wierd to me.

I would stay out of the water for your safety and the safety of others around you.
Just my 2 cents.

I have no idea waht I am talking about. This is my "Hearsay " opinion.

O.K. old grom with some blurb here..........

First off lemme tell ya I did not wanna touch this with a ten foot pole but the more I looked at it found it to be a good question worthy of looking into.

Second off WHERE THE HELL ARE THE WOMEN HERE ???????? SHOULDENT YOU BE TAKEN THIS ONE???? !!!!!!!!!!!!!

O.K. now that's out,,,, so I'll continue I found some neat and freaky stuff out and some YUCK more than I needed to know stuff too .

So first off yes sharks smell blood their sence is acute, and yes with pinpoint accuracy from a hella long way away. The testing with human blood has shown no signs of atracting sharks !!!! yea kinda wierd but true. It is also known that these are just tests not conclusion. It realy makes it a surf at your own risk. data compiled has shown of all shark attacks on women less than 4% were during that time of the month and of those less than 1% were surfers.

So it goes to show ya that as a shrimp cocktail or shrimp cocktail with sauce the risk is the same.

I did however find (for I have no way in hell knowing any of this) that pads are 2 thumbs down they turn to mush and????? don't work and for sure lead to an embaresing moment. I speaking for myself and having dodged diapers,flip flops,and????? while surfing so please no pads..... please..

Tampons were 2 thumbs up and 9.5 outta 10 said yes. in wettie,shorts,bikkini the word was they work,,,, again I would have no way in hell knowing any of this I'm just puttin what I found.

All in all it's your call,, your at no more risk than anybody else,,, ever. No matter what...

It was a good question and this is a compound of all the answers I researched. In true Tribal Surf vibe hope that helped.....

As a woman, who was in the house when old grom replied....but didn't get asked....My answer would have been.... WHY would you take the chance if there are sharks in the water? They do have a VERY keen sense of smell, & we women do have a distinct aroma even if we are using tampon & such. Then, I would ask why would you not do the research more yourself? There are books & actual female surfer guided books that talk directly on this topic. One such is, A Girl's Guide to Surfing. I believe that is the full title. Just a thought.

I agree with Kabooski's post. You should be able to find more info and statistics online...personally, if the waves are good, then I will surf no matter what.

Thanks for the advice everyone! It's really weird that sharks aren't as attracted to blood as we thought but yes I agree it's better not to risk it. Kabooski, I think I came across that book at the book store. If it's the same book, there was a couple of paragraphs on surfing while on your period and I thought it actually said that it was ok. I could be wrong though it might have been another book I came across called Surf Diva. I will check again.

I'm with JenO...If the waves are good, I surf no matter what...

Oh my gosh I’ve been searching for information on this forever. This is all basically the same thing that me and my other girl surfer friends do. I have to go find that Surf Diva book. I didn’t even know there were any surfing books out there catered for women. Very cool!!

- Crystal

This question seems quite logical to all the women who want to ride regardless the time of day or month! Aloha Chicas!

Been riding along time and if the opportunity is there, Im going to take it! Came back down from Mendocino, and any talk of a local sighting was like the plague!

Rules from an old Navy Seal/Dad:
1. Don't wear a pad to go in the water (digbat move if I do say so myself)
2. Blood is blood, but if you wear a fresh/super absorbant tampon (really), you should be just as safe as any guy in the water. I was told URINE attracts sharks because its a sign of distress in fish when they urinate (an old tale from my pop). But, if you have to go, you have to go, we all certainly do! just pea away from the rest of the crew!
3. Cold water slows, if not stops, the flow of a period! Just jump in Nor Cal waters and you know what I mean!
4. Excercise is great for cramps, but if your are already cramping before you go into the water, it's probably a safer bet to get rid of the cramps first.
5. No joking, we can get pretty cranky at that time of the month, so if a shark comes up to you just give the big guy a nice slap between the eyes, and like most men, he will head the other direction! I don't know about the females!

Been surfing since I was a baby bumper, so I will definitely go out if I feel up to it. I know many riders who won't go in the water, but I believe it is just because they don't feel well enough. I guess, its all chance and if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time... I definitely will get out of the water if I hear of a shark sighting in the area....just saying!
Aloha!