It’s the morning of a bright, sunny day. You drink coffee and do a series of stretching exercises to prepare for a day of surfing. You drink a lot of water to hydrate yourself because you checked the weather report and it’s going to be hot. But the water is cold, so you put on your wetsuit, hold your board under your arm and get into the surf. An hour later, you feel that urge to pee, but the bathroom is so far away. You curse yourself for all the water you drank, and coffee certainly didn’t help. You think, “aw, what the hell”, and you let go right there in the water, in your wetsuit. You briefly wonder if what you did is safe.
Does peeing in your wetsuit attract sharks? No. It is a common misconception that urine attracts sharks. Experiments (not scientifically controlled, however)have concluded that, when dispersing droplets of blood in the water near where sharks swim, no sharks swam close to those doing the test. Also, tests have shown that the sense of smell sharks have is not as powerful as once thought.
Are There A Lot Of Shark Attacks?
Shark attacks do occur, but there were only 37 shark attacks in the U.S. in 2019. Compare this number to about 2 million surfers in the USA alone in 2016. You have a better chance of being struck by lightning (57 people were in 2019, compared to 37 shark attacks) than being bitten by a shark.
There have been changes in the ocean environment due to climate change. Warmer water attracts more tropical fish, which is a natural food source for sharks. It can’t be assumed that the warmer water won’t attract more sharks and shark attacks in areas where most of us surf.
El Nino, a wind phenomenon that occurs in the Pacific Ocean, also helps increase the temperature of the ocean. The affected area is Southern California, one of the most popular surfing destinations in the world.
El Nino winds bring up the warm water from the equator up through South and Central America. These equatorial waters warm up the waters of the Pacific Ocean off Southern California.
Great white sharks and hammerhead sharks feed on the tropical fish that move to warmer waters.
There is no evidence that sharks are hunting humans. Sharks feed on sea creatures, like fish and seals. In 1972, the deferral government placed into law the Marine Mammal Act, which made it illegal to hunt or kill seals. As a result, the population of seals increased a great deal off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. At the same time, marine biologists noticed a dramatic increase in great white sharks in the same area.
It’s important to note that sharks often swim in the same areas as humans, looking for fish to eat but remain indifferent to humans. But it’s also important to note that the number of reported attacks is 37, and may only refer to unprovoked attacks.
Some experts claim that the number is greater when you include provoked attacks – when humans intentionally interact with sharks, using harpoons and spears inside underwater shark cages. If you provoke a shark, expect the shark to fight back.
Shark attacks aren’t the fault of sharks, and it’s not like a train or plane crash, where nothing you could have done could have saved you. We can avoid shark attacks and stay safe, by doing a few common sense things.
What Can I Do To Avoid A Shark Attack?
There is one surefire way of avoiding shark attacks, but it’s not something any surfer will do, and that’s to never go into the ocean. But if we can use our heads and always be one step ahead of the shark by implementing a few safety precautions, likely, we’ll never run into the gaping jaws of a great white.
- Always surf with a partner.
Never go into the water alone when you go surfing. Don’t surf by yourself. Even if you want to avoid the crowds and you hit the beach early in the morning, make sure someone else is nearby. Strike up a conversation and commit to having their back should something happen, and that they have your back also.
There have been stories of shark attacks where the victim of a great white was saved when someone else intervenes and pulls them away from the shark.
In Tasmania, a woman was surfing with a friend. Her brother was nearby. She and her friend were sitting on their surfboards, enjoying the warm sunshine. The victim felt something gently grabbing her leg.
A second later, a great white surfaced and she noticed her leg in its jaws. Her brother swam quickly to her, punched the shark’s head. The great white swam under the water a second time but rose back up a moment later to bite off a chunk of the victim’s surfboard.
Her leg freed, her brother carried her away at top speed as the great white wandered elsewhere in the ocean.
The victim kept her leg but 5 years later, she cannot walk without a limp due to the weakness of her bitten leg. Scars from the bit are still visible.
Remember the adage, “There is safety in numbers.”
- Avoid the water during a shark’s feeding time.
Sharks hunt for food mostly in the dark of night. Stay out of the water from when the sun goes down until you can see the light of day next morning.
Sharks are also attracted to the movement of the water. When large crowds are swimming at the same time, the motion of bodies causes the water to become agitated. This will attract sharks.
If you see a crowd at the beach, find a place that is a distance away. Bring a partner with you and surf, even if the waves are smaller than where the crowds are. If lifeguards tell you that they’ve received reports of sharks in the area, then do not surf no matter where you choose to.
- Take off all your jewelry before you go surfing.
This includes rings, watches, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. The metal used to make jewelry reflects the sunlight and looks more obvious under the water.
The metal can resemble fish scales to sea creatures like sharks. Sharks are not clever creatures, nor do they have good eyesight, so it’s often when there’s movement nearby, they’ll just bite away at splashes in the water.
The less you draw attention to yourself, the safer you will be.
Is It Okay To Pee In My Wetsuit?
Returning to the main question. As far as if it is safe and peeing doesn’t attract sharks, the answer is yes.
But how would you feel if someone peed in their wetsuit near you? Would you stay or move away? Not everyone answers the same way. You could stay, because you have your wetsuit on, and it won’t touch your body. Or others will say they would move because swimming around in urine is gross.
It’s a hard question to answer. Should a surfer pee in his wetsuit or not? The answer is yes and no. The truth is, it’s pretty gross. Urine is a waste product that stinks and lingers in the water. We all know how bad the odor coming off of pee can be.
Be respectful and don’t pee when in a group. But there are ways you can avoid peeing in the first place.
We all have normal times each day when we pee and defecate. We pee the most in the morning. When we get out of bed, most people, regardless of age, go to the bathroom and pee.
Most people drink coffee in the morning, others start the day with orange juice. After hours of sleep without water, we need hydration in the morning.
At some point in the morning, we’ll pee again form all the coffee, juice, and water we drank.
I would advise you to go surfing after you’ve peed from drinking morning fluids. After you’ve peed, wait 20 minutes, and pee a second time. Then go surfing. There will be less of a chance you’ll have to go.
On the day you surf, another option is not to drink anything except a little water in the morning. You won’t need to go, and you can hit the beach early. Grab a partner and have confidence you’ll be okay for a few hours.
Related Questions
How Do I Get the Smell Of Pee Out Of My Wetsuit?
Wash the wetsuit in a tub and add cleaner such as baby shampoo. Never use strong chemicals on your wetsuit. Leave it in the water and shampoo for 30 minutes, then hang dry.
There are products specially designed to remove the urine smell from wetsuits. You can find numerous good choices online.
What Should I Do If A Shark Is Near Me?
There are two approaches. The first is, Don’t Move. While there is no known method of staying 100% safe when a shark approaches, experts say that you should stand up in the water facing the shark. Stand there and there’s a good possibility that the shark will swim by you.
The second approach is to hit the shark on the head with your fist or, if you happen to have your surfboard in your hand, hit the shark over the head with it.
What If A Shark Has Clamped Its Jaws On A Part Of My Body?
Marine biologists state that the most sensitive parts of a shark’s body are its eyes and gill slits. You can push your fingers in either of these areas and there’s a good chance the shark will open up its mouth and swim off. Make it uncomfortable and claw at the eyes or inside the gills.