Shark Kissing Fad Probably Won't Catch On

In another of our series of stories on fish fighting back (previous entries here, here and here), this diver decided to kiss a shark, but the shark just wasn't that kind of...well, shark (from Divester.com, h/t Best of the Web):

This may be one of the all-time, stupidest things I've ever heard. And I've heard of divers doing lots of dumb stuff. However, last month, Dave Marcel was diving in the waters off Key Largo and did the unthinkable: he decided to kiss a nurse shark. I guess the shark just wanted to be friends, though, because it responded by biting Marcel's face, leaving him with a severely damaged lip that required extensive reconstructive surgery. To add insult to injury, the blood from the attack attracted snappers, who immediately swam up and helped themselves to a few nibbles, too. According to the cosmetic surgeon who patched Marcel, "Dave's lip looked like it had been put through a meat grinder or a garbage disposal." Ouch! If you can't imagine what the kiss-cum-bite must've looked like, it's all on video.

Why on earth would someone want to kiss a shark? Well, Marcel claims he's kissed sharks "hundreds of times " before: "You kind of pick them up, rub their belly, scratch them, hug them. You might as well give them a smooch while you're out there." Right. Surprisingly, it doesn't sound like Marcel has learned his lesson, either. According to him, his personal guidelines for the future will limit his shark-kissing to when the fish is NOT upside down. As though THAT were the problem.

I think the shark just wanted dinner before any of that physical stuff.