A Brazilian lawyer is recovering after a frightening shark encounter while snorkelling off the coast of northeastern Brazil. The incident, which was captured on camera, happened last week in the Fernando de Noronha archipelago, located in the state of Pernambuco.
According to the reports, a group of people was freediving underwater. The victim, Tayane Dalazen, was snorkelling among the swimmers. Multiple sharks and fish were surrounding the group when a nurse shark approached Dalazen and suddenly clamped its jaws onto her right thigh.
Footage from the scene shows Dalazen floating upside down when she is attacked. The nurse shark became aggressive and latched onto her leg. Her thigh was inside the shark’s mouth for a while, but the injury was not critical due to the shark’s short teeth. Dalazen, recounting her experience, explained that the shark did not bite in the traditional sense but used suction to grip her, which is typical behaviour for nurse sharks due to the size of their teeth.
“I had to wait because the shark was holding me,” she recalled.
Dalazen added she felt the shark shaking her leg and feared making any sudden movements. She said that she believed the shark would rip her hand off if she put it near its mouth. She was eventually freed after the diving guide struck the shark, forcing it to open its mouth.
Once freed, Dalazen was assisted back to shore by the guide and a fisherman who was close by. She also received help from a friend who is a dermatologist and happened to be present.
Dalazen suffered multiple puncture wounds to her thigh, according to photos taken after the incident. Reports say the injuries were not deep.
Despite the ordeal, Dalazen appeared to remain in good spirits based on a post she shared online, joking that “The shark must be missing a tooth.”
