Instagram Model Attacked By Shark

2024 Author: Steven Freeman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 08:15

A photo shoot almost ended in tragedy when an Instagram model went swimming with nurse sharks in the Bahamas.

Katarina Zarutskiede, 19, almost lost her life for wanting to take the perfect photo.

The event occurred on the Exuma Islands where the young American was vacationing with her boyfriend and family. When she noticed that a group of people was swimming with the sharks, the young woman chose to jump into the water and float alongside them in order to take the perfect photo.

"My boyfriend's family was very scared when I went swimming with the sharks and I was like 'everything is fine,'" Katarina said in an interview with online site BuzzFeed.

Everything was going well but within seconds one of the animals bit her arm and dragged her to the bottom of the sea. "I had my wrist in my mouth and I could feel her teeth sink into my arm," she said. "It took a few seconds until I ripped my wrist from the shark's mouth as fast as I could."

Rather than panic, the model chose to remain calm. "At that time your body has too much adrenaline and you have to get out of that situation, but I remained extremely calm," she told the BBC. "I think if someone had yelled and staggered then that could have changed the situation."

After the attack, Zarutskie swam up a few steps and was immediately transferred to a nearby clinic. "I am fortunate to have been able to save my hand," she said.

Marine life expert David Hocher told NBC News that nurse sharks are "quite tolerant and docile but can sometimes bite."