Video: Teenager Escapes Shark Attack by Punching Shark in the Nose
OutdoorHub Reporters 04.06.17
A teenager from Kentucky was bitten by a shark while she was swimming in the Gulf of Mexico, and escaped by channeling her inner Ronda Rousey and punching the shark in the nose.
Caitlyn Taylor, 17, from Louisville, Kentucky, was swimming in the surf off the coast of Destin, Florida, when the shark attacked. She sustained several puncture wounds from the bite and was forced to get over 100 stitches.
Beyond lucky to be alive and well and thank you to everyone for the support and wishes and I’m going to be okay, love you guys❤❤❤ pic.twitter.com/wm6wVryVzw
— Caitlyn Taylor (@cbt212) April 3, 2017
Caitlyn’s mother, Tracey Taylor, told KBMT-TV: “Caitlyn says she turned around and the head of it was coming toward her with a wave, and she said she turned to swim back to shore and she says she felt it just grab her and lift her off the bottom.”
Authorities said they have not identified what type of shark attacked Caitlyn, however, witnesses have said a 5-foot-long shark bit her in about waist-deep water.
Caitlyn was reportedly in Florida to play in a softball tournament with her high school team when the incident occurred.
This is just another reminder if you swim in the ocean, you do so at your own risk. Sharks are natural born hunters, and this time of year they are travelling from all over in search of warmer waters and food. A cool tool to checkout is Ocearch.org. It tracks hundreds of sharks and logs their movements whenever a shark surfaces long enough to “ping” a location.
