Diver shows how to fend off tiger shark in ‘amazing’ video
Andriana Fragola came face-to-face with the shark off the coast of Hawaii
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A diver who came face-to-face with a tiger shark while diving off the coast of Hawaii has been caught on camera calmly explaining what to do if you’re ever in the “rare situation” of being approached by one.
Andriana Fragola, who works as a safety diver with One Ocean Diving tours, said that everyone should “anticipate you could potentially see a shark” and be prepared to react anytime you enter the ocean.
If approached by a tiger shark, she explained, you should maintain eye contact with the creature before extending your arm and pressing your hand flat on its head.
Then to divert the shark away from you, you must “follow through by pushing your body and over away from them”. She demonstrated how to do this in the video, which was described as “amazing” and liked more than four million times on TikTok.
Once the shark’s head has been successfully turned away, Ms Fragola recommends brushing your extended hand along the side of its body to ensure distance is maintained in case it turns back to approach again. “Make sure to do a look around and make sure there are no other sharks approaching,” she added.
The method outlined in Fragola’s video is “the safest thing to do” with tiger sharks, she said, which can grow up to 16 foot long and are commonly found in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.
For smaller sharks, she recommends using scuba diving fins to push them away.
Tiger sharks are among the deadliest species of shark and are second only to the great white in recorded fatalities.
Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources recommends avoiding the ocean if sharks are known to be present and leaving “quickly and calmly” if one is sighted.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments