Surfer Says Gold Chain Caused Shark Attack on His Face (Video)
About a week ago, a surfer was attacked on his face by a shark in Florida.
The victim, 38-year-old Mark Sumsersett from South Carolina, said the attack felt something “like a bear trap closing in on me," as we previously reported.
And now, Sumsersett says he knows why he was attacked.
In a new interview with News Center Maine, Sumsersett said it was because of the gold chain he was wearing during the attack, which attracted the shark to bite him.
“I was wearing a gold chain,” said Sumsersett. “So, anybody that’s ever out in the water, I suggest you don’t wear a gold chain while you’re surfing. It thought it was a fish. The scales on the fish. And he grabbed my face because of that. I’m almost 100 percent certain.”
Turns out, there may be some validity to that. According to the International Shark Attack File, a database for shark attack trends, to reduce the odds of an attack, they advise:
“Make a point of wearing your dive watch under the cuff of your wetsuit, thereby eliminating any chance of light reflection off the face of the watch attracting a shark or barracuda. Similarly, one always should avoid wearing jewelry because the glint of light reflecting off metal approximates the glint of light off the scales of fishes, the normal food items of most sharks.”
It just so happens, gold chains have become somewhat popular recently amongst surfing’s elite – especially within the Brazilian Championship Tour collective. Maybe Gabby et al might want to rethink their accessories…at least while in the water:
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