This is the moment a woman rescued a shark tangled in fishing rope - with her bare hands.

Charity Clark, 43, was paddleboarding with her friend Cassie Bailey, 33, near Big Pine Key, off the coast of Florida, on March 26, 2025.

The pair first 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 - from tail to mouth - tightly wrapped in fishing rope.

Without hesitation, Charity jumped into action.

She gently lifted the shark and began untangling yards of rope from its body using only her bare hands.

Charity, a photographer from Big Pine Key, Florida, said: "It was just instinct. "

"I didn't even think twice. "

"I saw this animal in distress and just knew I had to help. "

"I wasn't scared, just focused."

Charity believes the shark was in a tonic state - a natural, trance-like condition that can cause sharks to become temporarily immobile - which allowed her to free it safely.

"I was so relieved when it started moving," she said. "We were all smiles watching it swim away. It was such a relief."

You can follow Charity and Cassie on Instagram at @dash.of.adventure and @wildthornbaileys.