Two divers went viral on TikTok after sharing their “intense” encounter with the shark, which one managed to kick in the face before they escaped to shore.
In a 53-second clip, footage showed the terrifying moment Tao Hoogland and his friend were attacked by the beast, while diving in an area renowned for shark sightings.
“The most intense shark attack!” he wrote in a text-overlay on the video, which has amassed over 959,000 views.
Tao Hoogland was spearfishing with friend Joseph, when a large bronze whaler shark swam up to them in Shark Bay, Western Australia.
Diver films encounter with shark
The TikToker decided to film as the apex predator darted toward him. In the video, he’s seen trying to battle it off him, before swiftly kicking it in the face.
“As I looked up to my dive buddy, he signaled that it was time to go, especially as we had several bad encounters with similar sharks the week prior,” Tao recalled.
“Suddenly, the shark reappeared behind me and before I knew what was happening, it was attacking my buddy in between our legs, trying to take the fish off his speargun.”
Both divers hurried back to shore, but were shocked at how persistent the predator had been.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
“The shark tried to take the rest of the fish out of our hands, as we swam back to shore,” Tao said. “I was surprised by how aggressive and cunning the shark was, but I quickly became annoyed as it wouldn’t leave us alone.”
In the comments, TikTok users were in awe of the scary event.
“You survived a shark attack!! You got a meaning to life don’t forget this,” one wrote.
“Omg my heart would have stopped I wouldn’t be able to move after that let alone swim back to shore,” another said.
Despite being in shock after the encounter, Tao said that he and his diving buddy returned to the ocean the next day.
For more TikTok news and other viral stories, head over to our viral hub.
