Shark bite off the coast of Brazil spotlights tours baiting sharks for viral close-ups

In April 2026, Tayane Dalazen was on a shark-diving trip off the Brazilian coast when a nurse shark bit her thigh.

The frightening encounter has since become part of a broader warning from experts, who say social media-driven attempts to capture close-up shark footage are pushing more people into risky wildlife interactions while also placing stress on the animals themselves.

The scoop

Before she was bitten, Dalazen — a 37-year-old Brazilian lawyer and social media personality from São Paulo — said the situation already seemed unusual.

"I knew something was different because the sharks were on the surface," she said. She later learned that tour organizers had been feeding the sharks to encourage them to interact with tourists, the BBC reported.

Dalazen said the shark, which was more than 7 feet long, kept her underwater for several seconds before letting go. The bite left lacerations on her thigh, and she described the ordeal as "very frightening." Video of Dalazen's incident has also been viewed tens of millions of times online.

Researchers at the International Shark Attack File told the BBC they have seen more cases of people being bitten while trying to film sharks, even as unprovoked shark bites worldwide have remained broadly steady at around 70 a year. 

Why is this significant?

The Brazilian's experience is an example of how people can help set the stage for these encounters. The sharks were reportedly being fed to attract them, and Dalazen acknowledged she was too close.

That aligns with broader research on why wild animals attack humans, which often points to people encroaching on animal territory, altering their behavior, or creating unnatural interactions.

Shark scientist Kristian Parton, who also hosts the "Shark Bytes" YouTube channel, told the BBC, "I'm seeing these videos every single week now and it's way more than it ever used to be. We're going to see people ending up in really serious incidents with sharks."

Studies cited by the BBC found that approaching or touching sharks can trigger elevated stress hormones, which may weaken their immune systems, raise mortality, and even lead to aborted offspring.

What can be done?

One of the clearest steps is choosing wildlife tours that do not bait animals for interactions and that enforce distance rules. If an experience seems centered on getting the "ultimate selfie," that may be a warning sign rather than a selling point.

Once in the water, experts' guidance is straightforward: Do not to touch, chase, crowd, or try to pose with sharks. As the BBC reported, a study of "swim with wildlife" trips found that influencers and photographers were more likely than other participants to disregard safety instructions, suggesting the camera itself can become part of the problem.

Companies can enforce stronger boundaries, end feeding practices that encourage unnatural behavior, and put wildlife welfare ahead of attention-grabbing content. As Parton was quoted, "We're talking about a true apex predator, a very large wild animal. You wouldn't walk into the Serengeti and try and put your hand on the face of a lion."

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