Shocking footage has captured the moment a Great White Shark broke into a diving cage while a tourist was trapped inside.
The four-metre-long predator was chasing a piece of tuna bait left out by a guide when it accidentally smashed into the supposedly ‘shark-proof’ cage.
Great Whites can swim up to 25mph, and its momentum took it into the underwater apparatus as tourists watched in horror.
One stunned onlooker can heard to be expressing “oh my God” as desperate staff quickly open the top of the cage.
The shark appears to thrash around for several seconds as those watching ask “Is it inside?” and “Is he in the cage?”
Then the fish suddenly emerges from the water, clearly distressed and bleeding in several places.
It manages to free itself and swims away.
A man then asks “Was there anybody in there?”
It becomes clear that a diver was inside as staff then pull him up and out of the water.
“Gosh, gee, he’s ok,” the man says.
The diver appears shocked but uninjured and some on the boat cheer and clap.
Shark-diving is a controversial tourist attraction, with some experts claiming that baiting for trips such as this leads to an increase in attacks.
The footage was shot near Guadalupe Island, Mexico, by photographer and adventurer Buck Forester.
He posted it onto his YouTube and Facebook account where he usually posts updates about his sons Gabe and Garrett.
He wrote: “This is not our normal type of video.
“I (their dad) went on a great white shark cave diving trip. Great white sharks are awesome and what appears to be an ‘attack’ on a diving cage is not.
“They are temporarily blinded when they open their mouths, so when the shark went for the tuna bait on the rope it accidentally slammed into the cage.
“They can’t swim backwards so it thrust forward through the cage with a diver inside.
“Rest assured, no one was injured and after a dramatic half minute, the diver emerged safely.
“The crew on the boat did an outstanding job doing their best to make sure it had this happy outcome.
“These sharks are amazing creatures to be seen up close!”
Mirror.co.uk
