Swimsuit

12 Phenomenal Photos of Irina Shayk in Tahiti

The 10-time SI Swimsuit Issue model landed the cover in 2011, four years after her magazine debut.

Ananya Panchal

Model Irina Shayk Swims with Sharks in Tahiti

Irina Shayk is among the most photographed SI Swimsuit models with 10 incredible consecutive appearances in the magazine between 2007 and ’16. She landed the cover in 2011 after her photo shoot in Hawaii with photographer Bjorn Iooss, becoming the first Russian-born model to do so.

“To be honest, the time flew by. Today I woke up and I was like, ‘Wow this is my 10th year!’ It’s kind of amazing,” the now 37-year-old said about her decade of shooting with SI Swimsuit. “It changes every year—they take you to different locations every year. I feel like I grew up with them—they hired me back in 2007 and I didn’t really speak English back then. I’ve learned a lot about being more confident with my body, because Sports Illustrated always hires girls who love their bodies, their curves, and it’s really important to love your body. My journey with them really showed me how you can be a better woman—how you can experience your body in a better way and be more confident.”

Shayk, who recently walked in Schiaparelli’s show at Paris Fashion Week, is mom to 5-year-old Lea with her ex, actor Bradley Cooper.

Here are 12 of our favorite photos from Shayk’s 2016 photo shoot in Tahiti, Bora Bora, with photographer Yu Tsai, where they were surrounded by sharks and stingrays.

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Ananya Panchal
ANANYA PANCHAL

Ananya Panchal is a writer on the Lifestyle and Trending News team for SI Swimsuit. Before joining SI Swimsuit in 2022, she worked at Bustle, the San Francisco Chronicle and the TODAY Show. When she is not writing or doom-scrolling on social media, Panchal can be found playing sudoku, rewatching One Tree Hill or trying new restaurants. She's also a coffee and chocolate (separately) enthusiast. Panchal has a bachelor’s in communications and journalism from Boston University.

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