Most people will flee in panic if they encounter a shark in the open ocean.
But a professional diver has revealed why swimming away from these top predators is the most dangerous move.
Kayleigh Nicole Grant, founder of an ocean safari company, showed that it is best to always stick to your guns, face the shark and – if it continues to come at you – gently push the terrifying creature away.
She shared the advice in a video showing first how an adult tiger shark weighing about half a ton became entranced by her fins as she swam away from it – and then how surprisingly easy it can be to face a shark and gently steer him in a different direction.
“If you panic and swim away from sharks,” Grant said in her clip, “they will probably keep following you because of their prey drive.”
As for your 'fight or flight' instincts, one professional diver advised doing neither – and she proved it via a shocking first-person demonstration showing how to properly fend off a large adult tiger shark. If you try to run, she said, “sharks will probably keep following.”
Kayleigh Nicole Grant (above) – a professional diver and founder of Hawaii-based ocean safari company Kaimana Ocean Safari – has developed a huge following for her captivating undersea videos, with two million followers on TikTok alone and counting
“Stand there, make eye contact and push them away if absolutely necessary,” Grant comes along @meermin.kayleigh on TikTok, advised in the clip.
According to trackingsharks.com, as of November 18 last month, there have been 76 publicly reported and verified shark attacks in 2023 – almost 20 more than the total number of shark attacks in 2022.
Admittedly, only 10 of this year's attacks were fatal, and nine of the 76 incidents were believed to have been provoked, the site reports.
Sharing the video on both TikTok and Instagram sparked a wave of viral attention, as she expertly managed to redirect the shark with a gentle but firm push on the creature's nose.
“Sharks are more respectful than a lot of people today,” one commenter joked after watching the deadly apex predator calmly approach him and swim away.
While Grant has built a huge following for her captivating undersea videos, with two million followers on TikTok alone, her advice on sharks reflects a broad consensus among the scientists who study these creatures via social media.
Sharing the video on both TikTok and Instagram, it sparked viral attention, as pro diver Kayleigh Nicole Grant expertly managed to redirect the shark with a gentle but firm pressure on its nose. “Sharks are more respectful than a lot of people these days,” one commenter joked
“Refrain from excessive splashing, especially in a single spot,” according to a fact sheet maintained by the Florida Museum of Natural History, which is operated in partnership with the University of Florida in Gainesville.
“Sharks can hear the low-frequency sounds of splashes,” the museum's marine biology experts advise, “and can sense whether a fish/prey is in distress.”
A shark's “inner ear,” called the acoustic-lateral system, can hear sounds between 10 Hz and 800 Hz frequencies from miles away in the water, according to biologist Carolin Nieder of the University of Auckland in Australia.
This ability helps a shark explore a wide ocean area in search of tasty aquatic prey in distress, meaning swimmers must be vigilant as they splash around noisily and playfully in the ocean.
Suppose a shark arrives to explore your beach day.
In that case, researchers at Shark Lab, run by California State University, Long Beach, have suggested further advice following what Grant shared on TikTok.
“You want the shark to know you see it by always looking at it,” the Shark Lab scientists said.
“By keeping your eyes on the shark, it will be able to see that you are looking at it,” they said, “and most of them will swim away.”
Shark Lab's most important addition to Grant's advice is to always be on your guard.
A shark you've redirected may decide to swim behind you to take another look, “typical behavior of many predators,” the researchers said. the laboratory's beach safety page.
“It doesn't mean the shark is stalking you,” Shark Lab said.
“It's just a way for them to gain a better understanding of something that could potentially harm them.”
According to Dave Bader, chief operations and education officer at the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro, California, most sharks are less than three feet long and 80 percent are less than six feet long.
In other words, many of them aren't quite the killer apex predators we see on Shark Week or in the Jaws movies. Many are just as afraid of what is in the water as we are.
“Sharks are definitely on the menu,” Bader told DailyMail.com last month.