Instagram Model Gets Attacked, Dragged Underwater By Shark During Casual Shoot

Image via Shutterstock

An Instagram model has been bitten by a nurse shark while posing for the ‘gram.

Californian model Katarina Zarutskie was on the Staniel Cay island in the Bahamas with her boyfriend and family for a holiday, when she noticed a group of people snorkeling among nurse sharks.

Nurse sharks are generally known to be docile, though some of them do bite on occasion, possibly when they mistake a hand or fingers for food, explained owner of Staniel Cay marina David Hocher to NBC news.

Zarutskie seized this opportunity to snap a photo with the marine animals. One of the nurse sharks bit her wrist, before she was held underwater for several seconds. The bite resulted in her needing to consume antibiotics for her injury and several stitches.

She also underwent surgery to remove pieces of the shark's teeth that remained in her wound. The model's incident has garnered much attention from the media, resulting in the 19-year-old receiving plenty of criticism from netizens.

She explained to the BBC that she understands nurse sharks to be safe based on her previous experiences in scuba diving and surfing in their presence.

Hocher clarified that the marina had a sign warning guests about the possibility of the sharks biting and that guests must swim at their own risk, but Zarutskie expressed that she had not seen the sign.

Zarutskie said that the media spotlight led to netizens' jumping to groundless conclusions and incorrectly perceiving her as a “stupid blonde Instagram model.” She added that she had received rude and hateful comments due to the false claims of her going into the water during the sharks' feeding time.

She clarified that in spite of the panic, she tried to remain calm and was able to raise her wrist above the water, so as to prevent the blood from spreading through the sea. Though she is left with a scar, her ability to remain composed during the situation had thankfully prevented the attack from being worse.

Instagram model, 19, bitten by shark while posing for pictures in the Bahamas https://t.co/Rr6gBc2A2Z pic.twitter.com/Sirb1Jqc5v

— Yahoo Lifestyle (@yahoolifestyle) July 11, 2018

[via Telegraph, opening image via Shutterstock]