Stunning influencer bitten by 7ft shark as consultants subject ‘final selfie’ warning
A stunning influencer was bitten by a 7ft shark during a diving trip, highlighting a dangerous rise in viral stunts that experts warn could prove fatal
Tayane Dalazen was enjoying a shark-diving excursion off the coast of Brazil when she was bitten
A glam Brazilian lawyer was dragged underwater after a massive 7ft shark locked its jaws around her leg. Stunning Tayane Dalazen, 37, was enjoying a shark-diving excursion off the coast of Brazil when the huge nurse shark clamped onto her thigh and dragged her under.
The social media personality was left with painful gashes on her leg after the horrifying ordeal, which occurred while organisers were allegedly feeding the beasts to draw them closer to tourists.
Reliving the terrifying moment, Tayane told the BBC: “I knew something was different because the sharks were on the surface. There were a lot of them.
Thee huge nurse shark clamped onto Tayane’s thigh and dragged her under
“When the shark bit me, the pain was very strong. I stayed calm because I knew I couldn’t fight the animal.”
The São Paulo beauty posted a clip of the incident online, where it quickly racked up tens of millions of views.
Although she insisted she “wasn’t there for social media” and didn’t intentionally provoke the predator, Tayane admitted she got too close.
Social media personality Tayane was left with painful gashes on her leg after the horrifying ordeal
The horrific bite comes amid a shocking global trend of influencers putting their lives on the line to snap the “ultimate selfie”.
Experts are now sounding the alarm over a rise in viral videos showing reckless thrill-seekers petting, riding and swimming dangerously close to apex predators.
In July, a fishing content creator nearly lost his leg to a reef shark while spearfishing, while a Chinese influencer was bitten in the Maldives in December.
The horrific bite comes amid a shocking global trend of influencers putting their lives on the line
Elsewhere in the Caribbean, a tourist tragically had both hands bitten off while trying to photograph a bull shark in shallow water. Marine experts warn that clout-chasers are playing a deadly game with wild animals.
Shark scientist Kristian Parton, host of the Shark Bytes YouTube channel, said: “I’m seeing these videos every single week now and it’s way more than it ever used to be. We’re going to see people ending up in really serious incidents with sharks.”
He added: “We’re talking about a true apex predator, a very large wild animal. You wouldn’t walk into the Serengeti and try and put your hand on the face of a lion.”
Despite the alarming rise in bites, some famous ocean influencers continue to defend touching the animals for “educational” purposes.
Controversial shark diver Ocean Ramsey, 38, claimed her content is meant to inspire conservation, saying: “I observe their behaviour and they choose to interact with me. They always make the first approach. You’ve got to give the general public some accountability.”
However, scientists have slammed the influencers, warning that invading a shark’s personal space causes extreme stress to the animal and leaves humans at risk of defensive bites.
Dr Jack Cooper said: “I really cannot explain how going up to a shark and touching it or riding it is doing anything to aid conservation. All you’re doing is showing a shark getting harassed by a human.”
Marine biologist Eric Clua said: “The message transmitted by influencers is ‘Look! Touch the shark, nothing will happen to you.'”
With shark-diving tours booming across holiday hotspots like the Maldives, experts have issued a stern warning: hunting for social media clout could come at a gruesome price.
