Professional diver explains how you should react if you encounter a shark

Ever wondered how you'd react if you found yourself face to face with a shark?

I can't say I have, but I suppose if I ever happen to find myself in that situation, I'd very much wish I'd prepared for it beforehand.

Obviously you're not likely to run into a sea creature while nipping to the shops or heading on your morning commute, but with summer coming up you might just be planning a trip to somewhere where sharks are more common.

So, imagine you're face to face with a shark - what happens now?

This is where professional diver Andriana comes in. The diver regularly shares videos of herself hanging out under the sea on TikTok, and all her experience has taught her a thing or two.

Andriana in particular often shares videos of tiger sharks, which can be found in tropical and sub-tropical waters throughout the world, including North America and Brazil, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.

Though your mind will probably be busy just screaming 'shark!!', you might be able to recognise one of the creatures, if it's a juvenile, by its dark, vertical stripes.

These stripes fade when they get older, so if you encounter an adult version, then you're just back to thinking: "Shark!!"

Anyway, back to how you should react.

One video sees the diver explain why you shouldn't try to 'run away' if you see a shark, saying: "It's a bad idea to run away or splash in front of a shark. While I'm splashing, you can see this tiger shark follows me.

"This indicates I'm prey. The better thing to do in this situation is face the shark head on, stop and make eye contact with it."

If the shark continues to come straight towards you, Andriana urges to put your hand out to 'redirect' it, and demonstrates as she casually pushes one of the beasts away.

"If I did not have my hand ready here to follow through [with pushing them away], anticipating this, there's a high likelihood it would have been a lot more difficult for me to redirect her," Andriana explains in another video, adding: "And that can lead to some really dangerous situations."

Once you've successfully moved the shark out of your way and got yourself an incredible tale to tell your mates back home, Andriana said you should 'exit the water as soon as you can'.

I don't think I'd have any plans to stick around after that, but it's good advice all the same!

Obviously, though, all of these tips should only be used if you do actually come across a shark - you definitely shouldn't go seeking any out just to give it a go.

Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@andriana_marine

Topics: Sharks, Animals, Travel

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is the Community Desk Lead at LADbible Group. Emily first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route. She went on to graduate with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University before contributing to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems. She joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features, and now works as Community Desk Lead to commission and write human interest stories from across the globe.