INSIDE EDITION goes swimming with the sharks to find out how you can defend yourself if surrounded by the beasts of the sea.
They are the most feared predators of the sea. Sharks come in all sizes and shapes -- each with razor- sharp teeth, and coming face-to-face with one is terrifying.
INSIDE EDITION’s Steven Fabian was on a small boat miles off the coast of Bimini in the Bahamas. He was with renowned shark expert Dr. Samuel Gruber as the sharks began to circle their boat.
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Dr. Gruber said: “These animals can be nasty. There are certain sharks really that would consider you as legitimate prey.”
Dr. Gruber then chummed the water with bait and it became a scary sight.
Fabian said before he jumped into the water: “I am not in a cage, or wearing any protective gear -- just GoPro cameras. You can see the hungry sharks jostling each other for food. I get some last-minute advice from shark expert Andy Cassagrande, who's featured on Discovery Channel's Shark Week airing through Sunday."
Cassagrande said: “Don’t try push with hands because that’s where the mouth is."
Fabian asked: "You can lose your hand?”
“Potentially,” he replied.
Fabian dove in and seconds after hitting the water, the sharks sensed he was there.
“It’s a feeding frenzy in here,” said Fabian.
Dr. Gruber assured him that he would be safe, but with so many shark attacks this summer and a dozen Caribbean reef sharks just inches away, Fabian’s nerves were jittery.
While in the water, Fabian said: "Craziest thing I ever did. Your heart is pounding as four, five and six-foot sharks all around us. I was warned not to splash, it might confuse a shark into mistaking me for bait and it might sink his razor-sharp teeth into me.”
The next thing he knew, a shark came a little too close for comfort.
“I had one shark come at me. I had to kick him with flippers to get him away,” said Fabian.
But the shark came at him again, and with another kick, the creature backed off. Fabian then swam back to the boat, luckily all in one piece.
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Dr. Gruber offered the following tip if you ever find yourself face to face with a shark.
Fabian asked: “Is it a myth if confronted with a shark, you can punch a shark in the nose?
Dr. Gruber said: "You punch him in the snout. Grab his eyes. Grab his gills. Do everything you can to frighten that shark. People have been saved doing that.”
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