Female Snorkeler Attacked by Shark in Shocking Video

Brazilian lawyer Tayane Dalazen found herself in a nightmare she couldn’t talk her way out of after a shark suddenly latched onto her leg during a snorkeling trip—and the terrifying moment was caught on camera.

The incident happened last week while Tayane was snorkeling in the stunning Fernando de Noronha, a popular destination off the coast of Pernambuco, Brazil. Video from the dive shows her floating upside down underwater, calmly freediving among fish and several sharks—until things take a frightening turn.

Out of nowhere, a nurse shark becomes a little too curious and clamps onto Tayane’s right thigh. The shark holds on for several tense moments as others nearby rush to help.

“I had to wait because the shark was holding me,” Tayane later explained. “It was more suction than biting, since it was a nurse shark.”

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While nurse sharks aren’t known for aggressive attacks and have smaller teeth than many other species, Tayane said the experience was still terrifying.

“I felt it shaking me by the leg,” she recalled. “I thought I couldn’t put my hand there because it could rip it off. The guide had to hit it so it would let me go.”

Once the shark finally released her, Tayane was helped back to shore by her diving guide and a nearby fisherman. A friend who happened to be a dermatologist treated her wounds, which included multiple puncture marks along her leg. Thankfully, none of the injuries were deep.

Despite the scare, Tayane managed to keep her sense of humor. Later, she joked on social media that “the shark must be missing a tooth.”