In the video, a Florida beachgoer was carrying what appeared to be a baby nurse shark in both of his arms, as the beast clamped onto his right arm with its teeth.
A bunch of Jensen Beach visitors swarmed around the man in awe as the ocean and fire rescue teams tried to release the shark from the man’s arm.
One medic was seen trying to grab onto the shark’s upper mouth in hopes of prying it off, but the nurse shark wouldn’t budge.
Surprisingly, the man remained calm in the video and even joked around with the other patrons about the incident.
The man said in the video: “I just wanted to play volleyball today, OK?” and asked, “I’m not getting charged for this, am I?”
According to the footage taken back in 2020, the man said the bite didn’t hurt, but every time he tried to release the shark from its grip, it bit down harder.
Some beachgoers can be heard suggesting things like flipping the shark upside-down to disorient it and flicking or punching it in the nose, but the man ignored them.
In another video of the incident, the shark was said to remain on the man’s arm for a total of 45 minutes before medics were able to release the shark from the man.
The man didn’t appear to be injured by the attack as he smiled and continued to carry the shark afterward.
According to the video, the man said he didn’t provoke the shark and that he was just swimming when the shark bit him.
It’s unknown if the shark remained alive after the incident.
Nurse sharks can reach up to 10 feet long as adults, but this shark appeared to only be around 2 to 3 feet long.
While the man seemed unphased by the attack, nurse sharks can have a very painful bite.
According to Mental Floss, these sharks can use their teeth to crush clams and use suction to grab a full-grown conch out of its shell.
George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File, told Newsweek: “A nurse shark bite is one of the worst because their teeth are like cheese graters on each side.
“When they get onto a human being, it’s like a vacuum cleaner … They leave a concave hole where they’ve turned flesh into hamburger,” he said.
While it’s uncommon for nurse sharks to attack humans, it doesn’t mean that they don’t occasionally bite when provoked.
Back in 2016, a snorkeler was out in Boca Raton waters when she was bitten in her right arm by a nurse shark, reaching 2 feet long, Mental Floss reported.
Witnesses said that a group of patrons had been harassing the shark.
She was taken to the hospital and survived the attack, but the shark died before medics could show up.
While nurse sharks may appear cute and shy, if you want to avoid getting bitten, do not provoke them.
