TikTok
The original video has amassed more than 17 million views.
An 8-year-old Australian boy is itching to return to the water following a scary incident with a shark caught on camera.
Earlier this week, Manni Alam was fishing with his father Radwan Alam and friend Moe Alsayed in the Great Barrier Reef when the child caught himself a big trout. Wanting to show off his haul on his TikTok page, the boy held up the fish while Moe filmed him on his phone.
Just as Manni got the fish onto the boat, however, a small reef shark was seen lunging at him, before the camera cut.
The video went on to rack up 17 million views, as many in the comments wondered how Manni was faring, while others questioned if the incident was real. Some believed someone was under the boat either using a puppet or holding up a dead shark to make it look like an attack.
Appearing on Australia's "Today Show" this week, Manni made it clear he's doing just fine as he explained what happened.
"So I caught this huge trout and I just wanted to show it on TikTok, so I went in the water, I was holding the trout and then a shark attacked me," he recalled. "It just felt like a little bite, it hurt a little on the chest but that's it."
In another interview, he said he believed the shark "accidentally" bit him -- adding that it only hurt "a little bit" and he was more concerned about losing his trout. He has a bite mark on his collarbone to show for it.
When the "Today" anchors asked Manni's father Radwan about speculation it was a "hoax," he called it an "impossible" claim.
"Anyone that's dived knows that it's a very common thing when diving, sharks are a very common occurrence," he said. "You never go spear fishing without seeing sharks."
The incident hasn't fazed Manni, who told the outlet he couldn't wait to get back in the water -- and has already been posting more diving videos to TikTok.
