Influencers bitten by sharks as dangerous interactions rise for social media

A Brazilian lawyer and social media influencer, Tainá Dalazen, described a terrifying encounter where a nurse shark bit her thigh while she was diving off the Brazilian coast. Dalazen, 37, initially noticed an unusual number of sharks at the surface, later discovering tour organizers were feeding them to encourage tourist interaction. "When the shark bit me, the pain was very strong. I stayed calm because I knew I couldn't fight the animal," she recounted. The shark, over two meters long, held on for several seconds before releasing her. The incident, which left her with a torn thigh, was captured on video and viewed millions of times online. While Dalazen stated she wasn't diving for social media and didn't provoke the shark, she admitted she was too close.

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I knew that something was different because the sharks were at the surface. There were many of them. Later I discovered that the tour organizers were feeding them, so that they would interact with tourists.

Dalazen's experience is part of a worrying trend. At least three influencers have been bitten by sharks in less than a year while attempting to get close to the animals. In July, another influencer nearly lost a leg to a reef shark while spearfishing, and a Chinese content creator was bitten in the Maldives in December, with both incidents filmed. Researchers tracking human-shark interactions globally have observed a rise in such cases over the last three years, particularly involving people trying to take photos with sharks. A recent study on animal swimming expeditions indicated that influencers and photographers often disregard safety protocols.

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When the shark bit me, the pain was very strong. I stayed calm because I knew I couldn't fight the animal.

In February of last year, a tourist in the Caribbean had both hands bitten off by a bull shark while trying to photograph it in shallow water. Two months later, a diver in Israel with a selfie stick was killed by sharks, likely also while attempting to take pictures. Despite these alarming incidents, the risk of a shark bite remains exceptionally low. The number of unprovoked shark attacks worldwide has remained largely stable for the past 30 years, averaging around 70 bites annually. Shark researcher Christian Parton emphasized the danger of approaching such predators, comparing it to interacting with a lion in the Serengeti. "We are talking about a real predator, a very large wild animal. You wouldn't walk into the Serengeti and try to put your hand on a lion's face," he stated. Sharks often use defensive or "test" bites when unfamiliar humans enter their personal space.

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We are talking about a real predator, a very large wild animal. You wouldn't walk into the Serengeti and try to put your hand on a lion's face.