Swimming with sharks is a popular sport in Maldives. Many tourists and travel vloggers indulge in the unique experience of floating beside a school of fish. But oftentimes, an idyllic holiday may take a terrifying turn if you try to mess with these unpredictable animals. That’s exactly what happened in this case when a woman.
Chels, a travel vlogger, was enjoying a swim in the clear blue Maldives waters while her friend, Antonio was filming her. While the clip was being shot, it captured a moment when Chels was bitten by a Nurse shark injuring three of her fingers. The disturbing video of the scary incident has been circulating on social media ever since. It shows how the fun-filled holiday turned deadly for Chels after the shark bite, despite the species being considered “one of the most friendly”.
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Vloggers Chels and Antonio have clarified what exactly happened as they note it down in the caption of the video. It says that that Chels did not intentionally put her hand in the shark’s mouth even though it appears otherwise. She was peacefully enjoying her float around the sharks as a part of a fun activity in Maldives when the mishap surfaced. The Nurse shark mistook Chels’ hand for a piece of tuna. Soon, it swam up to her and started sucking on her hand accidentally biting it. This species of shark is habituated to using their incredibly powerful suction to draw food in while eating and that’s exactly what happened here. However, the animal soon realized its ‘mistake’ and let go of Chels’ hand but, unfortunately, it had already injured her.
The viral video clip also shows the aftermath of the mishap where Chels is receiving treatment for her injuries. It shows three of her fingers wounded and bleeding from the accidental bite while the doctor bandages them. The footage, however, has received a lot of reaction from the netizens with some being concerned while others finding it hilarious. Someone poked at her in the comment section saying, “You kind of deserved this.” Someone else wrote, “Stop enabling unsustainable tourism and educate yourselves,” expressing rage and disbelief.
Truly, it is a risky business to get so up close and personal with these nocturnal creatures. The accident might have turned into a nightmare had the shark not let go of her hand.
