(CNN) It seemed like the perfect holiday photo opportunity: Crystal blue waters and a pack of docile nursing sharks lazing on the docks of Staniel Cay in the Bahamas.

But when Instagram model Katarine Zarutskie waded in to join the sharks, one clamped it jaws onto her arm and pulled her underwater.

"All of a sudden it felt like 15 people were squeezing on my wrist really, really, really hard," Zarutskie said. "Next thing I knew I was underwater and I felt this, and the adrenaline just kicked in."

Zarutskie was pulled underwater by the nurse shark

The 19-year-old Californian model is no stranger to the beach, but says she was inspired to swim with the sharks by similar photos she'd seen before.

"It seemed safe and I'd seen all these photos so I totally thought it was okay," she said.

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