A video is going viral after a young Australian boy got chomped by a shark while fishing off the Great Barrier Reef. 8-year-old Manni Alam was fishing off his father’s boat, bringing up a sizeable catch, when a shark slams into his chest. The creature was probably more interested in the fish and not the boy.
Before you start thinking that this is some sort of “Jaws” shark attack, put that out of your mind. This shark’s head is smaller than the boy’s chest. Most likely, a white or black-tip shark; a common inhabitant of the Great Barrier Reef. These smaller sharks eat fish, not seals. Alam *just* raises his catch out of the water before the shark barrels into him. Sharks have pretty bad eyesight as well, so it probably didn’t realize it was on a crash course.
It seems to surprise both parties. The shark was clearly aiming for the fish. Alam says in the video that he felt a bit of pain and was surprised. But he’s clearly no worse for wear. Whether or not he sustained any injury at all remains to be seen. In the video, the shark — having missed its mark — seems to gum Alam’s suit rather than it being an earnest bite. Certainly startling, and potentially scary had the outcome been different.
Regardless of the incident, it’s not going to dissuade Alam from the ocean. The young boy says he’ll be going back in the water regardless of the shark collision.
