An American mother accidentally filmed a breathtaking moment when a shark came into close contact with her daughter at south Carolina beach.
The video showed the little girl while fleeing the water after seeing a fin coming towards her.
The incident happened when Nicole Oister and her daughter Sara Oister, 11, were spending the day in Myrtle Beach while Ms Oister took video of Sara boogie boarding in the water and caught the moment on camera.
“I was taking video of her, and all of a sudden, she starts running out of the water. She said she saw a fin coming up out of the water towards her,” the mother said.
“I looked back on the video to see if I had captured it, and I did,” she continued.
Sara also spoke about her surprise about coming into contact with the much feared fish.
“Even though I know we’re in their habitat, I didn’t think I was going into that day thinking I was going to be right next to a shark,” the little girl said.
Second Incident Within Three Months
In May, a similar incident took place in Hawaii. A six-year-old girl had a close encounter with a shark while swimming in the sea.
The director emeritus of the Florida Program for Shark Research, George Burgess said that there had been no uptick in the amount of shark encounters this year, according to reports.
He said, “But what we are seeing, of course, is an increased population of humans that are in the water every year, so the density of humans in the water is higher than ever.”
Experts say swimmers can take precautions to prevent shark attacks. Always be aware of your surroundings at the beach, as shallow areas can serve as nurseries for sharks.
Also, try to swim in groups, avoid erratic movements, and leave shiny jewelry behind, as sharks can confuse it for fish scales, experts say.
As for Sara, she now has a story she can share with her friends.
“I’ll go back into the water because it’s not something that happens every day,” she said. “I just have to be more aware of my surroundings.”
