‘MY SOUL LEFT MY BODY’
Dramatic moment girl, 6, flees in terror as shark prowls just inches behind her while playing in the sea
THIS is the dramatic moment a six-year-old girl had a terrifying encounter with a shark whilst she played in the sea.
Anele Rezentes, from Kaliua Hawaii, had been enjoying her time at the Kalama beach before she was seen fleing in terror as the ferocious beast suddenly appeared just inches behind her.
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The young girl has since told local media that the terrifying encounter has left her reeling – saying it made “my soul leave my body.”
Speaking to Honolulu's KHON-TV she said: "I saw a shark. I didn’t notice he was behind my back. So I really wanted to run out. I was really scared."
The girl's mother, Sheri Gouveia, was the one who recorded the video of the encounter.
She said that her daughter "was hysterical" when she came out of the water.
"I was like, 'Oh my gosh.' So I ran up, but I was looking for it but couldn’t see it.
"I didn’t realize it was actually a shark. That’s what shocked me," Gouveia added.
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Experts who looked at the video told the Hawaii news outlet that it may have been a Blacktip shark, which typically looks for food in shallow waters.
They believe the shark was chasing fish instead of targeting Rezentes.
They are known for living in coastal waters off beaches, over coral reefs and in bays and estuaries and are usally about 5.5 feet (1.7 m) in length.
Blacktip sharks are commonly seen by swimmers and fishers along coastal resorts and therefore have regular encounters with humans.
Mrs Gouveia has just said she is thankful her daughter is still alive.
She added: "Never, ever has something like this happened before. She’s pretty much here every other weekend.
“I guess there really are angels watching over my angel," Gouveia said.”
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Blacktip Facts
5 Facts about Blacktip sharks
- Blacktip sharks have black tips on all their fins except for the anal fin, which is white.
- The oldest blacktip shark ever observed was 15.5 years of age.
- Blacktip sharks spin in the air and have been recorded making at least 3 rotations before falling back into the water.
- The largest blacktip shark ever recorded was a female that measured 6.8 feet (2.1 m) long.
- Blacktip sharks have an excellent sense of smell and can detect one part of fish flesh in 10 billion parts of seawater.
Shark Attacks On The Rise
Although the young girl avoided any injuries from her terrifying encounter, others have not been so lucky after a recent spate of attecks this year.
In February, a 57-year-old man was killed near Maitre island after being bitten by a shark that witnesses say was four metres (13 feet) long.
Authorities also believe the disappearance of a swimmer and a boater earlier this year could be due to sharks that have settled along the coasts near Noumea.
Twenty-four sharks - that officials say were particularly large or aggressive - were culled near the capital last month.
It comes after the Sun reported last year that nine people had been killed in some 60 shark attacks worldwide during 2020 - the highest figure since 2013.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Scientists have suggested shifting hunting grounds, the weather, an increase in staycations, overfishing and even "chance" may have played a role in the spike.
In total, eight men and one woman, aged between 17 and 63, were killed by sharks in 2020.
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Shocking moment a two-metre shark prowls close to the shoreline of a popular beach
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