An influencer got bitten by a shark while trying to take the perfect Instagram pic

We've all gone to questionable lengths to get that perfect pic for the 'gram, like standing on chairs to get a good avo-on-toast pic or stopping traffic during rush hour for that perfect casually walking across the road #ootd shot.

But one influencer took it a step too far by putting herself in danger. Katarina Zarutskie was holidaying in the Bahamas with her boyfriend and thought it would be cute to take a picture swimming with nurse sharks (if you're a bit squirmish, stop reading now).

They are usually friendly so she thought it would be no problem to swim amongst them and capture the magical moment, even though her boyfriend's family warned her against it.

She went in and it was all going well until a local told her to pose while floating on her back, which is when a shark bit her arm and tried to drag her under the water.

Her boyfriend's dad captured the awkward moment, but thankfully after a few seconds, Katarina managed to yank her arm free and swim to safety.

She told the BBC, 'I've seen countless photos of people with them on Instagram.'

Photo: Katarina Zarutskie

The influencer shared the series of pictures on Instagram, and at first glance, you wouldn't think anything was amiss, until you realise that in one shot she is being bitten by a shark, and in another she is holding her arm above her head to stop the bleeding.

She received backlash on Instagram, with accusing her of being 'self-obsessed' and a 'stupid Instagram model'.

Despite needing stitches and antibiotics, she said it didn't put her off, although she would be more cautious next time.

'I think anyone that goes and swims with nurse sharks needs to realise it is an uncontrollable situation. You can't even predict how another human is going to react to situations, let alone an animal. I definitely will be thinking twice but it won't be scaring me away!' she said.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.