Shark Attack in the Maldives: A Shark Expert’s Analysis

I was asked to comment on this video, which is currently actively going viral on the Internet, where a shark bites a man on the head. First of all: where did this happen? In the Maldives near the capital Male. In particular, Hulhumale on a site called Shark Tank. A fairly well-known place where diving with sharks often takes place. But in this case, a group was diving that did not book this dive with local guides. Probably on its own. We see a lagging diver, who is literally dived and given a test bite by a tiger shark. Fortunately, nothing serious happened. This guy only got 15 stitches, considering what tiger sharks are capable of and what they do with turtle shells - he got off easy. His main mistake here is only that he did not look around. And in places where you dive with sharks, you should always do this. And also the mistake is that there was no guide or shark diver behind him, a professional who watches sharks and does not let them get so close. When diving with sharks, one of the main aspects of safety is visual contact with the shark. You need to watch it constantly. You need to actively turn your head, and not only guides, but also guests should do this in order to look out for the animal closest to you and react correctly. Of course, it is better when professionals do this, but if this happens, always look the shark in the eye, because they can really see it and react, and change the direction of movement, even if you just looked at them. I have encountered this many times, I worked like this. Here, it was precisely a test bite. That is, the person fell behind, he has a bright shiny object on his head and on his back. The predator is free to do whatever he wants, since the blind spot is accessible. And, for example, he can make a test bite, which is what happened. This is precisely a test bite. If she wanted to kill him, believe me, she would easily bite his head off in one go. They can do it. For clarity and reinforcement - personal examples. Here is my girlfriend Dasha meeting the gaze of one of the largest tiger sharks on our island of Fuvahmulah. Her name is Rose. And, as you can see, she just looks at the fish, and it calmly turns away. No hint of aggression, acceleration, or attempts to bite. Nothing. Here is another example - our regular guest Eldar. The shark is right in the blind spot. As soon as he turns around, it immediately runs away. The third example is from my colleague, local shark diver Shuga. Together with the tiger shark Groovy. He constantly watches her, not allowing her to get closer. He puts his hand out in a “Stop“ gesture and the shark itself swims away and keeps its distance, although it clearly has not lost interest, but it does not show aggression towards him either. While Shug is watching her, she keeps to herself. The same thing happens when I’m filming her and at the same time I put my hand out in a gesture and watch her “non-stop“. So I look like another top marine predator. Visual contact works in a variety of conditions, be it even the clear water of the open ocean, as my colleague Anush demonstrates. Or our guest Dmitry shows this in conditions of poor visibility with our old friend the shark Groovy. In turn, I watch his back 360 degrees, and always look the shark straight in the eyes. And finally, a video for those smartasses who will assure us that our sharks are not hungry. Here is a shark with a clearly sunken belly. Obviously, she hasn’t eaten for a long time... And not a hint of aggression. I have repeatedly encountered sharks that were clearly hungry. But it doesn’t matter whether the sharks are hungry or not. It depends on your skills, knowledge. And who and how organizes the dive with them. Therefore, I always recommend to everyone: dive strictly with professionals who have a good reputation, an abundance of positive reviews. And even better - visual photos and videos of their work. I hope you liked this video. Repost it, especially to friends who are afraid to go somewhere because of sharks. Educate them on this topic. If you have any questions - ask me. I will be happy to answer. Like, subscribe, write comments. Well, see you underwater! Nikita Kornilov. Master of Biology, sharkdiver, diver, zoologist, aquarist, terrariumist, shark expert.