APAG Releases Statement On CamSoda Shark Incident

PARTS UNKNOWN—It was all over the news last Friday: Major adult site CamSoda.com had hired actress Molly Cavalli to shoot a promotional video for the site, involving the shapely blonde being lowered into shark-infested waters in a shark tank outfitted with several video cameras, all meant to capture footage of the sometimes deadly fish as they swam around the supposedly protected performer. But things didn't go well, and as Cavalli was climbing out of the cage onto the waiting boat, one shark reportedly broke through the cage's bars and bit Cavalli's foot, opening a deep gash requiring about 20 stitches. Though the incident was widely reported (mostly in the British press), and the actual bite not caught on camera, at least one shark "expert," Floridian George Burgess, has disputed those news reports, claiming that "I can tell you for a fact, it was not a shark bite. How it was inflicted is conjectural, but the main thing is, the injury is not a shark bite. It was a PR stunt, and it worked." Although questions have arisen about whether Cavalli was injured at all, how she was actually injured, if she was, is open to question—and now the officers and board members of the Adult Performers Actors Guild have issued a statement regarding the incident: "The Adult Performers Actors Guild, the federally recognized union for performers in the adult industry, is announcing an investigation into the incident that occurred last week on a Camsoda.com set. While filming a dangerous publicity stunt on a boat with an adult performer, the actress was injured and had to receive medical treatment. The actress was filmed in a 'shark cage' underwater while using snorkeling gear, and was bitten by a shark during filming. Upon viewing the edited clip on various news outlets, it appears that numerous filming violations may have taken place, which prompted our investigation. "After reading the different rules and performer agreements within CamSoda.com, the Guild has major concerns regarding potential health and safety laws, performer rights, and filming laws that may have been violated. This clip violates Camsoda’s performer agreement as well as their terms listed on their Model Wika page.  In their own words, anything that can be considered obscene or dangerous, whether implied, actual or offered, is listed under unacceptable behavior. We will be requesting all film permits obtained for this production. For these types of shoots, a special stunt permit must be pulled, medical staff and safety equipment must be provided, as well as a licensed diving instructor on set. We would also like to make it clear to all production companies that performer safety must be their first priority. While we do not intend to censor their creative ideas, general laws for health safety of our performers must be followed." When/if CamSoda comments on APAG's statement, AVN will report it.