Shark attack advice: Expert diver shows how to redirect shark

An expert demonstrated how to avoid a shark attack and why you shouldn’t swim away from one of the predators during a close encounter.

Kayleigh Nicole Grant is a marine biologist and professional shark diver. The 34-year-old is based in Hawaii and is the co-founder, captain and lead safety diver of Kaimana Ocean Safari. Grant aims to educate others about shark safety to make our waters safer for the creatures.

@mermaid.kayleigh
Follow @andriana_marine to learn even more about sharks! 🦈💙 Just like bears & other #predators we are taught to maintaineyecontact, yell, get large, back away slowly… it’s the same with sharks! They are not the man eating monsters the media portrays & typically want nothing to do with humans. So much so that just pushing on their head is enough to deter. #tigershark #sharkdiver #sharkdiving #sharkdive #ocean #hawaii
♬ Black Out Days Sped Up – Ryugan

The expert recently went viral on Reddit with 57,000 upvotes when footage of her colleague Andriana swimming with a tiger shark left people stunned.

In the footage posted by @SamMee514, Grant explained that pro diver Andriana was demonstrating why you shouldn’t splash and swim away from sharks.

“Splashing and swimming away imitates what prey does,” Grant said. “When we’re dealing with top predators like sharks, we want to also act like a predator.”

Andriana encountered a massive tiger shark. Instead of fleeing, she faced it.

“What you actually want to do is not splash,” Grant said. “Turn around, face the animal and maintain eye contact. With tiger sharks, you can place your hand on the top of their head, push down gently and that will redirect them away from you.”

Adriana did just that. She patted the tiger shark, maneuvered it in a new direction and watched it swim away. Both of them were unscathed.

“There is nothing quite like sharing space and coexisting with an apex predator that could cause you harm but chooses not to,” Grant told the Sun. “Even with all my years of shark diving, I have never been in a situation that felt like an ‘attack’ or close call.”