Shark Bursts Through the Waves; Devastating Attack on Parasailor Gliding Just Overhead Captured on Video
While shark attacks aren’t as common as most people think — you are far more likely to be killed by a deer than by a shark — these spine-chilling sea creatures inspire fear and awe for a reason.
Even more terrifying is that — as a 37-year-old man in Aqaba, Jordan, found out — sharks often seem to strike when you least expect it.
According to The Sun, video captured the man parasailing at a Red Sea resort on June 25, when a shark suddenly jumped out of the water and took a massive bite out of his foot.
WARNING: The following video contains footage that some viewers may find distressing.
Terrifying moment shark jumps out of the water and bites off parasailer’s foot pic.twitter.com/SZFsj8HKGC
— The Sun (@TheSun) July 1, 2021
The man suffered serious injuries in the attack and was rushed to nearby Prince Hashem Military Hospital.
Once there, he required surgery on his right foot, which had “several tendons severed and the muscle torn in the incident, as well as (him) having several broken bones,” The Sun reported.
The outlet said the victim later was said to be in stable condition.
Nobody knows what kind of shark was responsible for the attack, though records indicate there is a rare-but-present history of attacks by whitetip reef sharks in the area.
Mohammad Qatawneh, who works for Aqaba International Dive Centre, was shocked by the shark attack, which he reiterated rarely happens in the Gulf of Aqaba.
“The shark attack garnered a lot of media attention. Truthfully, it scared a lot of people, but this is something that can take place anywhere,” Qatawneh told local media, according to The Sun. “In Karak, for example, there are snakes and scorpions, but in the end, they’re not dangerous enough to scare people away.”
“I’ve been diving for 20 years, and this is the first time I’ve heard of a shark attack.”
But perhaps things are changing. The Sun reported that just two days after the parasailer was bitten, a nearby speedboat was attacked by a shark. Fortunately, no humans were injured in that incident.
Collectively, Twitter was shocked and horrified. National Review senior writer Dan McLaughlin said he was stunned this story did not come out of Australia, which is known for odd wildlife incidents.
That’s not scary at all.
Damn.
Dude isn’t even in the water and the shark jumps out and bites him. https://t.co/77JHs1MOqj— Scott Skiba (@ScottSkiba) July 3, 2021
This story can’t be real. If it was real, it would have happened in Australia https://t.co/sVNU7hQyaf
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) July 1, 2021
????????
This is why I don’t go into the water!— ????Press-Elect Trunalimunumaprzure???? (@real_vt16) July 1, 2021
I went parasailing in Florida in 2013 and had a blast.
I suppose I should have spent the whole day being worried about becoming a shark’s lunch.
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