Incidents of sharks biting humans are incredibly rare, but at least three influencers have been bitten by the animals in less than a year. Scientists say they’re increasingly concerned about the rise in social media videos showing people swimming too close to sharks, touching or even riding them.
“I’m seeing these videos every single week now and it’s way more than it ever used to be,” says shark scientist Kristian Parton, who also hosts the ‘Shark Bytes’ YouTube channel. “We’re going to see people ending up in really serious incidents with sharks.”
In July, a fishing influencer almost lost his leg after being attacked by a reef shark whilst spearfishing. In December, a Chinese content creator was bitten in the Maldives. Both incidents were caught on camera.
Researchers at the International Shark Attack File, which tracks human-shark interactions worldwide, have also told the BBC they’ve seen a marked increase in the past three years of people being bitten while trying to take footage with sharks.
A recent study of “swim with wildlife” expeditions, external found influencers and photographers were the most likely to ignore safety instructions.
In February last year, a tourist in the Caribbean had both hands bitten off while trying to get a photograph of a bull shark from the shallows, according to local authorities. Two months later, a snorkeller in Israel carrying a “selfie stick” was killed by sharks, reportedly while trying to get photographs.
The risk of being bitten by a shark remains extremely low: the number of unprovoked shark attacks worldwide has remained broadly stable for the past 30 years, at about 70 bites per year.
While Tayane Dalazen was bitten by a nurse shark – known as a more docile species – some influencers have been filmed touching tiger sharks and even great whites.
“We’re talking about a true apex predator, a very large wild animal,” says Parton. “You wouldn’t walk into the Serengeti and try and put your hand on the face of a lion.”
Sharks will often use defensive or “exploratory” bites when presented by an unwelcome human in their personal space, he adds.
Human interactions can also cause stress to the animals. Scientific studies have shown that approaching or touching a shark leads to high levels of hormones called glucocorticoids. These can lead to a weakened immune system, increased mortality and aborted offspring.
“If you’re approaching the shark and stressing it out, whether it be in a nursery habitat, a breeding ground, or a feeding area, you’re depriving that shark of an area that’s important to it to survive,” explains Parton, “and that’s definitely a problem.”
One of the best-known shark content creators is Ocean Ramsey, a 38-year-old former model who shot to fame in 2019 after she was pictured swimming with one of the largest great white sharks ever seen.
