Photos have shown the the heart-stopping moment a diver came face-to-face with a menacing shark which is notorious for attacking humans...
Photos have shown the the heart-stopping moment a diver came face-to-face with a menacing shark which is notorious for attacking humans.
The adrenaline pumping photos show the beast surging towards the scuba diver off the Bahamas in the Caribbean.
But instead of tearing through his flesh, the 500kg predator harmlessly wandered over to inspect his camera.
The pair even shared an intimate embrace as the diver stroked the tiger shark as if it were a docile domestic pet.
Others incredible pictures show the sharks swarming around the group of divers as they swim near the ocean floor.
Photographer Steve Hinczynski, 49, took the amazing photos with novices who were swimming with sharks for the first time.
He said: “I’ve been on numerous shark expeditions before but what made this one different was we would have a first timer with us.
“That by itself isn’t uncommon but several years ago, he had been bitten by a tiger shark while bodyboarding and lost his lower leg.”
Mike Coots, who is pictured in the images, lost his leg in October 1997 after a terrifying tiger shark attack whilst surfing.
Like Mike, Steve said that he wants to show people that sharks aren’t mindless killers and that they need protection.
He said: “I want to do whatever I can to try to save sharks and dispel media driven hype that sharks are mindless killers.
“We need to be respectful of what they are capable of but we shouldn’t be fearful of them. We can all share their waters.
“There’s an incredible feeling of acceptance when they start swimming next to you.”
