Spearfishing influencer attacked by shark in Fiji

An online influencer's spearfishing trip off the coast of Fiji turned into a nightmare when a gray reef shark attacked him. Henry Gibbs, a New Zealand content creator focused on fishing, was on one of his first dives in the Pacific archipelago when the incident occurred.

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We were diving on the reef for an hour or two, then we moved into clearer open water where we wanted to try and catch something bigger while spearfishing. We missed a few other fish, and there were several gray reef sharks nearby. This one stayed with us longer than the others.

Gibbs was using a speargun when he noticed the shark circling the group of divers. He described the predator's behavior as increasingly aggressive before it suddenly accelerated and attacked him. "We were diving on the reef for an hour or two, then we moved into clearer open water where we wanted to try and catch something bigger while spearfishing," Gibbs wrote on Facebook. "We missed a few other fish, and there were several gray reef sharks nearby. This one stayed with us longer than the others."

Reflecting on the encounter, Gibbs admitted he should have recognized the signs and ended the dive. "I'll never know exactly what caused the change in its behavior, but eventually, it started swimming in tight semi-circles below us, getting more and more agitated, even lunging towards the boat. Looking back, that should have been a clear enough sign to call off the dive. I never thought a shark of this size could be a greater danger, and that was a mistake."

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I'll never know exactly what caused the change in its behavior, but eventually, it started swimming in tight semi-circles below us, getting more and more agitated, even lunging towards the boat. Looking back, that should have been a clear enough sign to call off the dive. I never thought a shark of this size could be a greater danger, and that was a mistake.

The attack left Gibbs with an injury to his calf, and he shared photos of his recovery in the hospital. He warned others to immediately end a dive if they notice a change in a shark's behavior. He also recommended wearing solid black wetsuits and not judging a shark's danger solely by its size.

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I knew it was coming for me, so you can hear me on the footage starting to warn the others before it reaches me. It dodges the speargun, goes under me, bites the back of my calf, and starts spinning around.