Terrible moment: Diver is rammed by a shark that snuck up behind him while he was spearfishing off the Florida coast
- Paul Dabill was spearfishing off Jupiter in Florida when he spotted the shark
In stunning footage, a hungry shark sneaks up behind a diver in search of lunch.
Paul Dabill was spearfishing in the waters off Jupiter, Florida, when he caught a snapper.
Little did he know he wasn’t alone – a shark had been lying in wait and the diver was now sandwiched between the predator and his lunch.
“I had just shot a snapper and wanted to retrieve the fish,” said Paul, 48.
“I didn’t know it at the time, but a shark was watching me and as soon as I shot the fish, it decided to hunt it too.”
Paul Dabill was spearfishing in the waters off Jupiter, Florida, when he spotted the shark
The curious shark, believed to be a nurse shark, snuck up behind him while diving
Only when the shark collided with him did he see it
“He was swimming from behind and under me, so I didn’t see the shark until it collided with me.” It was very shocking to say the least!’
Mr. Dabill, a restaurateur and photographer, is all too aware of the danger of spearfishing in Florida waters.
He said, “Wherever we spearfish in Southeast Florida, there are always sharks.” You need to be aware of their presence at all times.
“The riskiest time is when a fish is speared – that’s when the sharks are after it.”
“Extreme care must be taken when reeling in the fish and it should be removed from the water as soon as possible.”
“As soon as we collided, I swam to the surface and the shark swam in a different direction.”
Paul believes the shark that rammed him was a nurse shark.
“In general, they’re not a dangerous species,” he said.
Mr Dabill said that while nurse sharks are not considered dangerous, they are known to steal fish from spearfishers
Despite their docile reputation, nurse sharks (pictured in an aquarium in Thailand) actually ranked fourth highest in documented shark attacks on humans in a 2016 study
“However, they have been known to steal fish from spearfishers and lobster-collecting divers.”
“If your hand gets in the way of the shark trying to eat something, you may get a bite.”
Despite their docile reputation, nurse sharks actually ranked fourth highest in documented shark attacks on humans in a 2016 study.
When they attack, they bite with powerful, vise-like jaws and can cause serious injury.
In some cases, their jaws lock and victims can only be freed with surgery, according to the Florida Museum.
But they typically feed on smaller prey and rarely attack humans unprovoked.
The encounter between the shark and the diver in Florida comes just days after a Russian tourist was mauled to death by a shark in the Egyptian resort of Hurghada.
The victim’s father and girlfriend, believed to be 23-year-old Vladimir Popov, witnessed the horrific attack.