On Sunday’s Shaq Does Shark Week, Discovery Channel’s Shark Week kicked off with Shaquille O’Neal, the official host for the week, getting into the water with sharks for the first time in his life. The former NBA star teamed up with funnyman Rob Riggle for the adventure, which turned out to be more intense than expected.

While submerged in a custom-built cage that stands 12 feet tall by 6 feet wide, complete with custom windows for better viewing, a small shark wiggled its way through an opening and into the cage with O’Neal. The professional marine biologists working with him acted swiftly to remove the shark, and O’Neal, from the enclosure.

O’Neal, who claimed to be afraid of sharks and was hesitant throughout the episode, eventually went back into the cage to enjoy some of nature’s beautiful show.

Perhaps you could say he rebounded nicely.

“I survived a shark attack, you bitches!” O’Neal said after leaving the water.

Shark Week airs nightly this week at 8 on Discovery.

Check out what happened that time Michael Phelps raced a great white shark during a Shark Week:

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