Nothing seems to be more important to millennials than getting the perfect photo of themselves to post on social media. Millennials have resorted to going to incredibly dangerous lengths to get the best selfie and many of them are learning the hard way that great consequences can come with taking great risks.
Daily Mail reported that Katarina Zarutskie is a 19-year-old part-time Instagram model and nursing student who recently took a trip to the Bahamas with her boyfriend. The two were on a boating excursion off the coast of Staniel Cay island when they noticed a group of nurse sharks in the water. While common sense would have told most people to avoid getting in the water around the sharks, all Katarina could think about was the amazing photo that could be captured if she dove in and posed with them.
Without hesitating, Katarina jumped in the water and approached the sharks. Needless to say, it did not take long for her to realize that this was a very bad idea.
In the above image, you’ll see that Katarina did indeed get the photos that she was hoping for. If you look closely, however, you can see that a shark was coming straight for the teenager’s arm, and it didn’t take long for the animal to drag her under water.
“When he bit me, supposedly it sounded like a big vacuum seal,” she said. “Next thing I knew I was underwater.”
While she was not smart enough to know that posing with sharks is a bad idea, Katarina thankfully had enough brains to know what to do once she had been bitten.
“I knew I couldn’t get my blood in the water,” the model said. “When they see blood that means food.”
“Adrenaline was kicking in and I knew I just needed to get out of the water,” she continued.
“I was pulled underwater for a few seconds and then ripped my wrist out of the shark’s mouth as fast as I could,” Katarina added. Once she was free, she was able to swim away from the sharks and get back on the boat. She was rushed to a local clinic for treatment for injuries to her arm, and doctors say she is likely scarred for life.
“I saw it as an opportunity…to connect with nature.” Instagram star Katarina Zarutskie was dragged underwater while swimming above a school of nurse sharks for a photo: https://t.co/hOA4cYZxGS@LinseyDavis has the story from Times Square. pic.twitter.com/sxoTeMFKxK
— Good Morning America (@GMA) July 11, 2018
“(The doctors) now believe that I still have pieces of the shark teeth in my arm and I will forever have a scar,” Katarina concluded, adding that she has fears about how her modeling career will be affected by this. “I am so fortunate that I still have my arm and my life.”
In the end, this should serve as a reminder to young people that getting the perfect photo for social media is not worth risking your life. This young girl is very lucky to have survived this, and we hope she thinks twice before she does anything like this in the future!