Shark bites model posing for photos in Bahamas

July 11 (UPI) -- A model posing for some Instagram photos in the Bahamas ended up having the moment a shark bit her on the arm caught on camera.

Katarina Zarutskie, 19, a model and student at the University of Miami, said her boyfriend's father was taking photos of her swimming with some seemingly-docile nurse sharks at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club.

"It seemed safe, and I had seen all these photos, so I totally thought it was OK," Zarutskie told WPLG-TV.

Zarutskie's photos ended up chronicling the moment a 5-foot shark bit her on the wrist.

"I was leaning back for probably no more than 10 seconds, and this shark just grabbed my wrist. I know he mistook me. It was an accident and he probably thought I was food, and I am very lucky that I was able to rip my arm away from him," Zarutskie told KTRK-TV.

David Hocher, the owner of the marina, said the sharks have bitten visitors before, leading to warning signs being posted for swimmers. Zarutskie said she did not see the signs before going into the water.

Hocher said the sharks were likely confused by the model's dangling fingers.

"Pretty sure that shark thought it was just another scrap from the fish bench that was floating enticingly in front of them," he told KABC-TV.

Zarutskie said she feels lucky to have evaded serious injury.

"I have all my fingers, I have my wrists, and I'm just so blessed it was a minor accident," she said.

"What happened was an accident, and I don't want to throw the shark under the bus," Zarutske said. "He's a wild animal. I'm a human, and I was in his domain."