Social media influencer and singer Nastya Vitonova was enjoying a swim with sharks off the coast of the Maldives when the situation quickly turned terrifying. Out of nowhere, one of the sharks bit her hand.
At first, Vitonova reacted with nervous laughter, seemingly in shock, before the reality of the injury started to set in.
However, the footage also reveals just how serious the injury was. Blood was pouring from her hand as she sat on the edge of the tour boat, surrounded by the vast ocean.
Moments later, her fear took over. Panic set in, and she broke into tears, worrying about the possibility of blood poisoning.
When Vitonova voiced her concerns about blood poisoning, Zagfarova responded: “No, no, no, with sharks, the most important thing is that they don’t bite your finger off.”
She then reassured her: “Nastya, don’t worry. You won’t get a blood infection.”
Vitonova’s hand was thoroughly cleaned, disinfected, and stitched up at a local hospital.
Later, while speaking to the camera, she recounted how the terrifying moment unfolded. She explained that she had been swimming among the sharks when, suddenly, one turned and bit her.
She described what was going through her mind: “It held me for two or three seconds, and all the worst scenarios started running through my head.”
Despite her fear, she said: “I immediately swam to the boat and did everything with a cool head, despite the panic inside.”
She later revealed that the shark had bitten her all the way to the bone. Fortunately, her hand is now healing, and she remains hopeful about her recovery.
In a separate case, 44-year-old Elena Boyko shared her horrifying experience of being bitten while on a “swim with sharks” excursion.
She was in a group of 12, with a guide leading them through the experience.
Russian news outlet SHOT reported: “The Russian woman said that she did not panic and calmly bandaged her hand so as not to frighten the other vacationers.”
Experts believe that both attacks were likely caused by nurse sharks.
Other common species include reef sharks, whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, and even more aggressive types like tiger and bull sharks.
