A diver’s video demonstrating the appropriate actions to take if a shark is chasing you is both impressive and slightly terrifying.
Experienced diver Kayleigh Nicole Grant spends her time exploring the waters around Kailua-Kona in Hawaii.
In these waters, she encounters large and intimidating sharks. Grant has shared a video detailing the best approach if you ever find yourself being approached by a shark.
On her Instagram, Grant explains that sharks have the “potential to be dangerous” because they are “wild animals and apex predators.” For those unfamiliar with this term, it refers to a predator that sits at the top of the food chain without natural predators of its own.
However, Grant’s post continues: “But [sharks] aren’t the man-eating monsters the media makes them out to be. In fact, you’re more likely to be bitten by a New Yorker than a shark!”
“Let’s not demonize an animal for doing what nature intended it to do, be a predator. Their role is vital in the oceans ecosystem.”
Grant has also offered advice on what to do if you encounter a shark while swimming.
Last year, Grant posted a video of herself wearing flippers and swimming in the sea with a shark approaching her.
Initially, Grant can be seen kicking her legs and paddling away, but she stops as the shark comes closer. She then reaches out, grabs the top of the shark’s nose, and pushes it downwards and away from her.
The caption explains: “Sharks have natural instincts and splashing, panicking, and swimming away from them can trigger their prey drive.”
“It’s better to stay calm, stand your ground, make eye contact, and if necessary push them away.”
But what if you encounter two sharks at once?
Grant continues in another post: “Pushing one shark into the other is a technique we often use when having two sharks approaching us at once.”
“Luckily, with a good dive buddy like @andriana_marine we can lend each other a helping hand so that we can focus on one shark at a time. If she wasn’t there it doesn’t mean I would be bitten as double sharks is something we are used to handling. But we prefer to stay humble to their abilities & jump in to assist one another in various ways.”
“I don’t ever want to take unnecessary risks when diving with sharks & prefer to err on the side of caution as they are wild animals & apex predators.”