Mark Zuckerberg has been spotted wearing an ankle bracelet while surfing on a hydrofoil surboard in Hawaii.
On Tuesday, the Facebook CEO was photographed with a state-of-the-art hydrofoil surfboard that appeared to be fitted with ‘shark deterrent stripes’ while out in the waters around the island of Kauai.
Zuckerberg isn't taking any chances sharing the ocean with sharks because he's hooked himself up to a contraption that supposedly keeps them at bay.
The ankle bracelet called Sharkbanz is a device that sends out an electrical current that drives sharks away. According to the company's website, when sharks approach the band, they ‘detect the device's strong electromagnetic field, which provides a sudden sensation that is thousands of times stronger than the signal produced by anything in a shark’s normal food chain.’ This creates an effect similar to suddenly having a bright light shone in your eyes, the company said, adding that it does not harm the sharks.
The device has been touted by several professional surfers, including 1988 World Surf Champion Barton Lynch. Last year, former President Barack Obama was photographed wearing a Sharkbanz bracelet.
Despite its popularity, some experts have been wary of the device in the past. Late scuba diver Erich Ritter, known for filming “Bull Sharks: World's Deadliest Sharks,” told the German publication Deutsche Welle (DW) in 2017 that he believes Sharkbanz does not work.
“These Sharkbanz act only as a psychological safeguard,” he said. “They have no effect at all.”
Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach, told The Inertia, a surfing and outdoors publication, that he has yet to see any data to support the use of products like Sharkbanz. Though, Sharkbanz has provided several videos showing bull sharks avoiding dummies wearing the device. The bracelet has also been verified by third-party research at Coastal Carolina University, according to the company's site.
Ritter said the magnets in the bracelet are nowhere near strong enough to deter a shark. He pointed to an incident in 2016 when a 16-year-old boy was bitten by a shark in Florida while wearing a Sharkbanz bracelet. At the time of the accident, Sharkbanz cofounder Nathan Garrison said the shark attack was an anomaly and explained the device is only able to protect against certain kinds of attacks.
Since Hawaii has been the location of several shark attacks, Zuckerberg isn't relying solely on sharkbanz, his surfboard has other, more subtle deterrents in the form of a zebra pattern underneath. The theory goes that sharks like seeing solid colors because it resembles food, so they're not into stripes.
Although six shark attacks have been reported by the state of Hawaii so far this year, all affecting swimmers and surfers, Zuckerberg has been seen out on the water several times in recent weeks.
The Facebook founder took to the water on the $12,000 motorized surfboard, sharing a short video of the outing on his social media account.
The 60-second clip showed the billionaire cruising over the waves while wearing a black wetsuit and a helmet.
Zuckerberg frequently spends time in Hawaii, where he is often seen practicing his surfing skills.
Last July, the tech guru was widely mocked for slathering sunscreen across his face while taking to the waves for surfing session.
In an interview with Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri last month Zuckerberg explained: “I really should have thought that one through more.”
“I noticed there was this paparazzi guy following us and, so I was like, ‘Oh I don't want him to recognize me so you know what I'm gonna do? I'm just gonna put a ton of sunscreen on my face.’ And that backfired.”
“The delta between how cool you think you look and the worst photo a paparazzi can take is pretty funny.”
“No one needs to be wearing that much sunscreen. If someone wants to post a sunscreen meme, it's cool. I'm happy to give the internet some laughs.”
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