This is the terrifying moment a woman was bitten by a shark while diving off a paradise island.
Travel influencer Lilian Tagliari was swimming among a group of 50 nurse sharks in the Maldives early last month when one suddenly took a bite out of her right leg.
Footage viewed more than 18 million times shows Lilian screaming in pain underwater.
Blood can be seen coming from her leg with teeth marks clearly visible on her calf and shin.
Lilian said she thought she was bitten because one of the sharks mistook her for a fish due to their ‘bad eyesight’.
She said: ‘I would say [there was] probably around 50 sharks, and I’ve been swimming in this same spot for many years.
‘The boats do throw fish where they are, and because nurse sharks have very bad eye sight, that one just thought my leg was a piece of fish.
Travel influencer Lilian Tagliari was swimming among a group of 50 nurse sharks in The Maldives early last month when one suddenly took a bite out of her right leg
Crazy footage – viewed more than 18 million times – shows Lilian screaming in pain underwater
‘I did have to take antibiotics in case of any bacterial infection. I got a sore leg for a few days.
‘We had with them for a good hour, then I decided to go back to our boat. Then the conditions got better and I thought “oh a few more dives won’t hurt”.
‘As I came back up this shark decided to take a nibble. I thought “just my luck” because it happens so rarely.’
The Maldives is known for its white sandy beaches, turquoise lagoons and coral reefs, but it is also home to around 30 types of shark, according to Samudra Maldives.
These include scalloped hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks, whale sharks, and grey reef sharks – it is not immediately clear which species of shark appeared in the footage.
Many hotels and resorts on the island offer guests the swimming with sharks experience as a guided activity.
‘Most sharks near Maldives are friendly, and incidents of shark attacks are rare. But encounters with Maldives tiger sharks and nurse sharks might turn deadly if precautions aren’t taken,’ the holiday website explains.
Diving and snorkelling with the animals is also a popular activity among tourists, but ‘not all friendly sharks swim near the surface, so you’ll need to book an experience allowing you to dive in the sea, and explore sharks like grey reef sharks or whitetip reef shark’.
Blood can be seen coming from her leg with teeth marks clearly visible on her calf and shin
Pictured: Blood coming down Lilian’s leg after she was bitten by the shark last month
According to National Geographic, nurse sharks – which can grow up to 14ft long – are mostly harmless to humans.
They have, however, very strong jaws filled with thousands of tiny, serrated teeth and are known to bit ‘defensively if they are stepped on’ or ‘bothered by divers’.
Nurse sharks are carnivores and eat mainly fish, shrimp, and squid but are also known to crush and eat shellfish.
Lilian’s shark bite comes after terrifying footage also captured the moment a massive shark clamped its jaws around a diver’s head in a surprise attack of The Maldives.
The clip shows a swimmer innocently drifting in the blue waters while facing the camera.
But out of nowhere, and with shocking speed, the shadowy figure of an enormous shark appears behind the diver.
In a heart-stopping moment, the sneaky shark swiftly opens its jaws before engulfing the diver’s head.
For a few seconds, the swimmer’s head remains in the mouth of the predator as it shakes the sea explorer around in an attempt to gnaw off their head.
The diver can be seen kicking their feet and spreading their arms, desperately trying to flee the hungry shark.
Miraculously, the swimmer made a lucky escape as the beastly fish unlocked its jaws and swam away, freeing the diver of the chilling attack.
The diver then scrambled away to the surface of the water, waving their hands at the brave cameraman in a warning for them to flee the scene too.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
