Influencers Trying to Get Photos With Sharks Keep Getting Bitten

Tanya Dalzen

More and more people intent on getting a photo with a shark are getting bitten as influencers and photographers increasingly ignore safety warnings.

Researchers at the International Shark Attack File tell the BBC that they have seen an increase in people being bitten as they enter shark territory to capture video or photos.

“You wouldn’t walk into the Serengeti and put your hand on the face of a lion,” says shark scientist Kristian Parton.

Earlier this year, a Brazilian social media personality was bitten by a nurse shark, a species generally thought to be docile, while swimming off the coast of Fernando de Noronha in the Atlantic Ocean.

The shocking footage, seen above, has been posted countless times by Noronha; she also shares photos of the shark bite wound on her leg, which she says “didn’t turn out that bad.”

The chances of getting bitten by a shark remain very low, and the number of recorded incidents remains steady — at roughly 70 bites per year.

The BBC spoke to several influencers who post videos of themselves interacting with sharks, including Ocean Ramsey, a well-known former model famous for swimming with great white sharks. Like the rest of the creators, Ramsey says she has no interest in views or likes; instead, she says, it’s all about conservation.

“I’ve contributed to research articles, data collection… all of my work stems down to education,” Ramsey says. “Most of my work and what I share is respecting and observing from a distance.” She denies that touching sharks causes them harm — experts disagree.

“I really cannot explain how going up to a shark and touching it or riding it is doing anything to aid conservation,” says shark expert Dr. Jack Cooper.

“All you’re doing is showing a shark getting harassed by a human. And that’s not promoting any policies about what we could do to reduce overfishing or to give more protections for sharks.”

“And it’s certainly not providing scientific data that will tell us how the shark populations are doing or what policies might actually help conserve them,” he adds.

In February last year, a bull shark bit off both hands of a Canadian tourist who tried to take a selfie with the animal.