Charity Clark was paddle-boarding with her friends near Big Pine Key off the coast of Florida, on March 26, when they noticed a crab trap buoy behaving unusually before spotting the white outline of a shark.
The shark was upside down and motionless in the water with its body tightly wrapped—from tail to mouth—in the thick line, so Charity jumped into action. She gently lifted the shark and began untangling yards of rope from its body.
“It was just instinct,” said the 43-year-old photographer from Big Pine Key. “I didn’t even think twice.
“I saw this animal in distress and just knew I had to help.”
Charity believes the shark was in a tonic state, a natural, trance-like condition that makes the animal temporarily immobile—a state that allowed her to work on the rope unhindered.
She said she wasn’t scared, but let out a loud scream when the shark suddenly came to life, starting to wrestle with the rope.
“I was so relieved when it started moving,” she said.
“We were all smiles watching it swim away. It was such a relief.” Watch the video below.