Surfer and one-armed shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton is slammed for promoting product claiming to deter ocean predators after teen was bit while wearing one

Surfer and shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton has been criticized for promoting a product that promises to deter ocean predators – but critics say the gadget has little to no effect.

Hamilton, 34, who was attacked by a 4-metre shark while surfing in 2003 and had her left arm amputated, posted a video to her Instagram page on Monday advertising Sharkbanz – wearable devices that claim to keep sharks and other predators in the ocean using electromagnetic radiation. field.

“Sharkbanz is designed to help you overcome your fear of sharks and minimize the risk,” the video says, which includes a clip of her surfing. “I encourage you to overcome and have fun.”

But the mother-of-four was soon inundated with comments on the video, with streams of viewers questioning not only the supposed capabilities of the device, but also her support for it as a victim of a shark attack.

One person noted the recent string of shark attacks in Florida, writing that it was “incredibly callous to capitalize on fear.”

Others shared their belief that it would not adequately protect those in the water, with one person claiming that a Sharkbanz would ‘most likely have little to no effect’.

Another compared the products to “those fake bracelets that supposedly bring good vibes to your life,” while a fourth ridiculed the devices as “gimmicks” like “shark repellents to even think certain colors attract sharks.”

“Bottom line is… if you’re that afraid of sharks, don’t go in the water,” he wrote.

Josh Schellenberg, an underwater photographer who often takes close-up photos of sharks, also claimed that Sharkbanz is “great for a false sense of security.”

The company says its $128 devices create powerful electromagnetic fields that warn a shark’s sensory organ to “stay away.”

Hamilton is now working with Sharkbanz on the 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.

But Schellenberg noted that in 2016 a 16-year-old South Florida surfer Zack Davis was wearing one of the devices when a blacktip shark attacked him and bit his right arm.

“It was supposed to keep sharks at bay, and the first time I wore it I got bit,” Davis told CBS 12 of the device he got for Christmas.

He spent 24 hours in the hospital and had to get 44 stitches.

Schellenberg also claimed that one of his friends was testing the products and ended up “hand feeding” the sharks.

“When it didn’t stop the sharks from approaching him, he fed one and rubbed the nose of another,” Schellenberg wrote.

“The sharks didn’t care that he was wearing it!”

At that point, another replied that he studies natural and electromagnets, and discussed some research on Sharkbanz.

‘Realistic[ally]’, the shark would have to be smaller in size and literally resting against it to feel any kind of sensation.’

In fact one Peer-reviewed research from 2018 determined that Sharkbanz had “limited or no measurable effect on white shark behavior.”

And Daryl McPhee, associate professor at Bond University in Australia, who received government funding to study unprovoked shark attacks told Forbes that Sharkbanz and other similar devices have undergone “only limited independent testing” showing “a very limited deterrent effect.”

However, Sharkbanz executives have defended their products – with co-founder Nathan Garrison telling DailyMail.com that hundreds of customers have had “incredible experiences” and have said the devices “possibly saved their lives.”

He noted that the company has been around for 10 years and that scientists have spent 20 years perfecting the technology.

T The company has hours of footage showing its products deterring sharks – including a 10-foot hammerhead shark, he claimed.

“Several people have called me to say the product may have saved their lives and expressed their sincere gratitude,” he told Forbes.

“Navy SEALs, Coast Guard rescues and foreign military operations use Sharkbanz because they have seen the effects and enjoyed the benefits.”

Garrison also claimed that Davis accidentally landed near the shark after falling on 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 their competitors, who also helped design the experiments, which he said caused the product to be improperly applied.

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 great albacore 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 proven the products to be successful in deterring sharks.

“It is a proven fact, beyond a reasonable doubt, that our products (and strong permanent magnets) induce avoidance behavior in sharks,” Garrison told DailyMail.com. ‘There is no question about this.’

Still, he admitted that the devices are not 100% effective and “never will be.”

“But I’d rather use something that’s proven to lower my chances than rely on luck alone,” he said.

DailyMail.com has contacted Hamilton for comment.