Karma finally jumped up and bit an aspiring Instagram model.
Katarina Zarutskie’s artificially idyllic existence got a dose of reality when an approximately five foot nurse shark clamped down on her arm as she tried to use a school of feeding sharks as props for a photoshoot for her Instagram account and its 36,000 followers.
The 19-year-old Zarutskie, who attends the University of Miami, was on vacation in Staniel’s Cay in the Bahamas. Despite the numerous posted signs reminding swimmers not to molest the wildlife, the bikini-clad California native can be seen attempting to pose floating amidst a school of nearly two dozen sharks ranging in size from four to eight feet in length. Unfortunately for the the wannabe model, the sharks didn’t want to contribute to her desire for social media stardom.
“He had my wrist in his mouth and I could feel his teeth sinking into my arm,” Zarutskie told NBC News on Monday. “I was pulled underwater for a few seconds and then ripped my wrist out of the shark’s mouth as fast as I could.”
Despite their relative size, nurse sharks tend to be a docile species that pose no threat to humans unless provoked.
“I am so fortunate that I still have my arm and my life.” she said.
Zarutskie was not seriously injured but added that she was worried about how the resulting scar would affect her future modeling career. Social media models can make tens — and sometimes 100s — of thousands of dollars per post from brands looking to cash in on the appearance of having a picture perfect existence.