Instagram Model Bitten By Shark Whilst On Holiday
19-year-old Katarina Zarutskie is about to start her double-degree in nursing and business, and a famous Instagram model. Zarutskie was recently on holiday in the Bahamas with her boyfriend and his family, when they were having lunch at Staniel Cay.
Whilst having lunch, Zarutskie noticed some people snorkeling with a group of nurse sharks. Despite her boyfriend and his family being concerned for Zarutskie, she wanted to hop into the water and get some photographs with the sharks.
“From my previous knowledge from surfing and scuba diving, I know nurse sharks are usually very safe,” Zarutskie said. “I’ve seen countless photos of people with them on Instagram.“
After posing with the nurse sharks for a short while, a nearby local encouraged Zarutskie to lay back and float in the water just inches above the sharks. When she laid back, one of the sharks grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her under. “At this point people were starting to take photos and right as I lay back, after a few seconds, I was pulled under.”
Zarutskie was able to free herself from the five-foot shark only a few seconds after she had been pulled under the water. Images of the incident were captured by her boyfriend, and Zarutskie has been given antibiotics and stitches.
“At that point your body has so much adrenaline going and you just have to get out of the situation, but I stayed extremely calm. I think if someone was screaming and flailing around it definitely could have changed the situation.“
