In what might be a worlds first, a man was attacked by a shark while parasailing and it was caught on video.
The unidentified man was parasailing with another person June 25 off the coast of Aqaba, Jordan in the Red Sea.
While on a parasailing excursion, tour operators will often dunk patrons in the water. Not only will the dip cool them off, but it also adds some excitement as the patrons splash about in the water and possibly worry/imagine a shark in the water. (So many people have questioned the odds of being attacked by a shark while parasailing that Google has the query in a People Also Ask section.)
This trip was no different and while the group was about 1/2 mile (1km) off shore, the tour operators lowered the duo into the water.
As the pair were dipped in the sea, they splashed around for a second before a shark grabbed a patron’s foot. The unidentified man said the shark held on for 6 seconds before letting go.
Video of the shark attacking the parasailing man seems to show the fish lunging out of the water and toward the man’s body during the encounter. Unfortunately, the video was shot from a distance and despite zooming in, it is difficult to identify what species of shark was involved.
Due to the location of the incident, an Oceanic whitetip could be a likely candidate.
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The man was taken to shore and transported to the hospital. He sustained severe wounds to the foot including 4 torn tendons, multiple lacerations, part of his heel was torn off, and may have several fractures.
Engineer Muhammad Salman, Director-General of the Jordanian Maritime Authority, confirmed the Jordanian patient was in stable condition.
So is this the first know shark attack while parasailing? A check with the International Shark Attack File and Global Shark Attack file confirmed that no other parasailing shark attacks or bites have been found.
The odds of being attacked by a shark while parasailing are astronomically low and in this case, it is very likely that the shark was acting defensively or incited by the person landing on top of it. Regardless, the event should not dissuade anyone from enjoying parasailing.
The Red Sea is known for Oceanic whitetip sharks and are often spotted by divers well off the beach.
The locations has been marked on the 2021 Shark Attack Map.
