Remarkable footage shows diver Ocean Ramsey’s close encounter with five-metre shark

The moment Queen Nikki snapped at Ramsey’s flippers. Photo / Instagram

Astonishing footage showing the moment a woman almost dove into the mouth of a five-metre long shark has gone viral online.

The nonchalant reaction from the woman in question, freediver and conservationist Ocean Ramsey, makes it all the more remarkable.

The footage, taken by Ramsey’s husband Juan Oliphant, shows her preparing to slip off a boat and enter the water when a tiger shark, named Queen Nikki, approaches.

“Wait there. Wow! Holy crap,” a male voice says off camera as the shark swims towards the boat, before rising out of the water and snapping at Ramsey’s flippers.

The diver herself, entirely unfazed, reacts with a cheerful: “Hi Nikki!” She then immediately prepares to enter the water again.

Speaking to the American morning show Today about the incident, Ramsey stressed that while sharks are “wild animals” and “apex predators”, they’re “not monsters”.

“I rushed in the water too fast, and she reacted to that,” she said.

“I saw her, and she was close enough, with enough speed, that it looked like she was actually going at maybe my fin tips.

“There were a bunch of little schooling fish under, so I could see her speed and I knew that I needed to back off in that moment.”

She revealed she had actually known the shark in question for more than two decades.

“It’s just, like, ‘That’s Nikki,’ you know, Queen Nikki, and she’s such a fun and interactive shark. We were actually really excited for that moment, and I was just so excited to see her,” said Ramsey.

“I love that tiger shark. I grew up with that tiger shark, I think we were teenagers at the same time. And so I’ve known her for over 20 years.”

The moment Queen Nikki snapped at Ramsey’s flippers. Photo / Instagram

Ramsey spoke further about the viral moment in a follow-up post on Instagram.

“I know some media outlets can spin things out of context and I appreciate those who helped to educate on those platforms, and those media pieces that stayed true to the message of how incredible sharks are and that we can coexist,” she said.

“It just needs to be done with respect for their important role as apex predators. They are not monsters. I love tiger shark Queen Nikki, and have dived with her for several decades, and I don’t want people to get the wrong idea about sharks, or her.

“Generally she’s more like an old grandma, and she just keeps the young spunky ones in check, which is actually better for us.”

Ramsey reiterated that large shark species are “capable apex predators” but “not monsters”, saying they “need and deserve respect and protection”.

“Sharks are currently being killed at an unsustainable rate of over 100,000,000 every year, which is devastating for ecosystems humans also rely on.”

She said that it actually isn’t “that common” that a shark needs to be redirected, though it’s important to remain “respectfully ready”.

Ramsey has known Nikki for more than 20 years. Photo / Instagram

The diver also shared her advice on what to do if a large shark swims towards you – though she stressed it was only for emergency situations.

“If you’re ever approached by a large shark, the first thing you want to do is look at it, face it, extend your hand at the last moment, and place it on top of their head,” she said.

“Lock out your elbow and push down, and follow through off to the side. Even if they lift you out of the water, you want to keep the elbow locked to maintain space as best as possible, and try to get off the side of the shark, and then follow through with your other hand.

“There are a lot more variables in shark behaviour. I’m sharing this just for emergency use, so please always dive with a trained professional.”