Moments that could have been terrifying but ended up being just an unusual event that she will keep in her memory, lived a woman from Fort Lauderdale, who she was followed by a hammerhead shark when she was paddling a paddle surf board off the coast of South Florida.
Malea Tribblea participant in a cystic fibrosis charity run on June 28 from Bimini, Bahamas, to the Florida coast, was surprised by an unexpected companion: a hammerhead shark who circled her and followed her for part of the journey.
The event was captured on camera and has gone viral on social networks, since the video was published on the event’s Instagram profile Crossing For Cystic Fibrosiswhich carried out its annual fundraiser for people with that ailment.
In the footage, Tribble paddles toward a nearby boat to safety, while the dorsal fin of the boat is visible. shark surrounding her all the time.
She was halfway through the 80-mile race when her husband Ricky spotted the shark from the boat where he was with the woman’s relay partner.
The man calmly guided his partner to handle the situation and make it to the ship safely and without incident. Both are experienced rowers and mentors in the Crossing for CF community, the publication acknowledges.
Tribble said he felt the hammerhead shark hit his board, according to a report from NBC Miami.
After being safe, the shark began to surround another participant who was nearby on his paddle surf board, as can be seen in the video. The man also managed to board the boat safely.
According to NBC MiamiTribble returned to the race shortly after and completed it successfully.
“None of us felt unsafe. We feel calm. I had no time to allow myself to be afraid. Not even an encounter as unique as mine would deter me from competing in The Crossing again. Our ‘why’ for this event is the foundation itself. As a cystic fibrosis family, we always come back to that. This event is about being ‘brave in the face of fear,’ and Mother Nature made it happen for me in a way I never imagined,” Tribble confessed.
“I faced one of my biggest fears and came out stronger than I ever thought I would be, and it wasn’t really as scary as I expected. I hope people, and especially our CF warriors, watch this video as brave and strong as they are each and every day!” she stressed.
The statement published in the event profile cites an article from the news portal Newsweekin February 2022, on the hammerhead shark attacks. “According to the International Shark Attack File, which is the world’s only scientifically documented database of all known shark attacks, there have been 16 incidents between humans and hammerheads since 1900. And of those, there have been zero deaths”, the publication states.
