How safe is YOUR dream Maldives holiday? How swimmers have repeatedly been attacked by sharks in paradise islands' crystal clear waters

Daily Mail​

11-05-2025

Smattered across the Indian Ocean and made up over 1,000 intricate coral islands that are each encircled by white sands and cobalt blue waters, its understandable that almost every one of us dreams of visiting the Maldives at least once in our lives.
The Republic of Maldives is home to some of the clearest waters in the world, which themselves house jaw-dropping marine structures.
Plunging into the seas around any of the Maldives' 26 atolls is a dream for any scuba diver, as they are home to countless animals that swim around the pristine seas.
But, as with any complex ecosystem, the remote islands are home to terrifying predators whose only instincts are to kill and devour.
Dozens of species of shark stalk the watery depths of the island.
The apex predators ordinarily keep to themselves, preferring to hunt for smaller, easier, targets than human beings.
They are often said to be more afraid of us, than we are of them.
But since the powerful jaws make them dangerous, particularly to people choosing to dive and pose for pictures in shark hotspots, and as a result the Maldives has seen its fair share of human tragedy caused by the deadly beasts.
From the death of a decorated young army officer, to influencers who found themselves on the wrong side of these predators, the sheer range of shark attacks on the Maldives is well-documented.
Terrifying moment giant shark clamps its jaws around a diver's head
Terrifying footage captured the moment a massive shark clamped its jaws around a diver's head in a surprise attack off a Maldivian island.
The clip shows a swimmer innocently drifting in the blue waters, until out of nowhere, with shocking speed, the shadowy figure of an enormous shark appears behind them.
In a heart-stopping moment, the shark swiftly opens its jaws before engulfing the diver's head.
For a few seconds, the swimmer's head remains in the mouth of the predator as it shakes the sea explorer around in an attempt to gnaw off their head.
The diver can be seen kicking their feet and spreading their arms, desperately trying to flee the hungry shark.
Miraculously, the swimmer made a lucky escape as the beastly fish unlocked its jaws and swam away, freeing the diver of the chilling attack.
The diver then scrambled away to the surface of the water, waving their hands at the brave cameraman in a warning for them to flee the scene too.
Both swimmers could be seen quickly working their way up and out of the dangerous waters, before the hair-raising footage ends.
Terrifying moment woman is savaged by a shark while snorkelling in the Maldives
The dentist was left with several scars across her arm
A dentist told of her terror when a shark sank its teeth into her during a luxury holiday in the Maldives.
Ekaterina Alexandrova, 30, from Moscow, was bitten in the hand when she was snorkelling with a friend.
She complained of 'insane pain' but was able to get back to her tour boat.
The attack was by normally docile nurse sharks after she was told an excursion was 'safe'.
'I got lucky – I pushed [the attacking shark] away with my left hand, and it didn't manage to bite hard,' she said.
'Of course, I've had men tell me I'm a tasty pie and can make some, you know, bite,' she said. 'But I didn't think I was on the lunch menu of sharks in the Maldives.
'So it was certainly a shock and a huge surprise to me.'
The dentist was filmed shaking from shock in a clinic afterwards as she was given stitches for the gash in her skin.
She said: 'Just so you understand – I was in shock and just smiling stupidly. The pain, of course, was insane. I cried later.'
Her friend Masha 'turned pale and almost fainted - the boat was covered in blood,' she said.
Influencer is left covered in blood after being attacked by a shark
Russian influencer and singer Nastya Vitonova was swimming off the coast of the paradise islands when a shark sunk its teeth into her hand.
Footage shows a tearful Vitonova on an organised tour boat just moments after the horrific attack, as her hand gushes with blood while members of the boat crew hurriedly pour water over her wound.
'I got bitten by a shark,' she says in between sobs, while a female onboard the boat tells her: 'You're bleeding really badly.'
'I won't die of blood infection?', the panicked influencer asks.
Another social media personality onboard the boat, Isabelle Zagfarova, tells her: 'No, no, no, with sharks, the most important thing is that they don't bite your finger off.
'You won't get a blood infection', she reassures her.
In tears the shark victim - who has 780,000 TikTok followers - goes on to say: 'I'm having a panic attack. I'm scared.'
Vitonova was later transported to the nearest island where she received medical treatment for her bite.
In a separate clip she is heard asking: 'Are they going to stitch it up?'.
She later spoke about the shark attack on social media, explaining how she had been swimming alongside the sea beasts - an activity that is popular among tourists in the Maldives.
While most sharks on the island are considered to be friendly, some encounters with the animal can turn deadly.
Describing how the sea creature suddenly chomped on her hand, she said it dug its sharp teeth into her for around two to three seconds.
'All the worst scenarios started running through my head', she recalled.
'I immediately swam to the boat and did everything with a cool head, despite the panic inside.
'I had a smile and laughter for the first five minutes, but it was hysteria and a defensive reaction.'
She admitted: 'There was horror inside, I was shaking all over….
'I realised that it was good that it all ended with just my hand.
'But then the realisation came, and finally the emotions came out.
'I started crying really hard, sometimes I couldn't breathe from the shock.'
'[The shark] bit [my finger] to the bone, now there is a small bump at the site of the stitch. But it is healing', she said.
Horrifying moment woman is attacked by a shark while diving
This is the terrifying moment a woman was bitten by a shark while diving off a paradise island.
Travel influencer Lilian Tagliari was swimming among a group of 50 nurse sharks in the Maldives early last month when one suddenly took a bite out of her right leg.
Footage viewed more than 18 million times shows Lilian screaming in pain underwater.
Blood can be seen coming from her leg with teeth marks clearly visible on her calf and shin.
Lilian said she thought she was bitten because one of the sharks mistook her for a fish due to their 'bad eyesight'.
She said: 'I would say [there was] probably around 50 sharks, and I've been swimming in this same spot for many years.
'The boats do throw fish where they are, and because nurse sharks have very bad eye sight, that one just thought my leg was a piece of fish.
'I did have to take antibiotics in case of any bacterial infection. I got a sore leg for a few days.
'We had with them for a good hour, then I decided to go back to our boat. Then the conditions got better and I thought "oh a few more dives won't hurt".
'As I came back up this shark decided to take a nibble. I thought "just my luck" because it happens so rarely.'
Tragic young army officer perishes after shark attack
A young Maldives National Defence Force officer tragically passed away after being attacked by a shark.
Lance Corporal Mohamed Zaidhan, from the island of Ungoofaaru, had his shoulder mauled and dislocated by the beast while he was snorkelling.
The 30-year-old was rushed to L. Gan Regional Hospital's intensive care unit.
Local media reported he needed heavy blood transfusions due to the severity of his injuries, but tragically he succumbed to these wounds.
He was later buried on his native island with military honours.
A seven-gun salute was fired by fellow soldiers at the funeral, which was held at the Ungoofaaru Islamic Center after Asr prayer.
MNDF officers met with the late soldier's family and offered their condolences.
Heart-stopping moment shark clamps its teeth around tuna near an underwater photographer
The hungry great white sharks were snapped by a British photographer as they fed on Tuna
A bit close for comfort: The striking images were captured by London-born filmmaker and photographer Euan Rannachan with a Nikon D850 in a Aquatech water housing
Stunning and terrifying in equal measure, dramatic images show two hungry great white sharks closing in for chunks of tuna just a few feet away from a British photographer.
Captured by underwater snapper Euan Rannachan, 36, the striking images show a shark called Keyser Soze coming right up to the camera with its mouth wide open reaching out for its meal.
And in footage reminiscent of Steven Spielberg's Jaws, a thrilling video was able to capture the fearsome shark Brutus going in for another chunk of tuna.
The fearless London-born photographer was unflinching as he managed to dive and record the video at the same time.
These stunning shots were captured at Guadalupe island off the coast of Baja California, Mexico.
They were captured by filmmaker and photographer Euan with a Nikon D850 in a Aquatech water housing, which protects and secures camera and other equipment underwater.
'In the photos you can see a shark called Keyser Soze spinning around and going for a chunk of tuna at the surface just feet from me,' said Euan.
'In the video you can see Brutus going for another chunk of tuna.
'I was taking photos of this as well as running my GoPro.