An Australian father was in for a chilling surprise after a day spent at the beach, as photos from the outing showed his 10-year-old son surfing straight toward the mouth of a great white shark.
Chris Hasson shared a post on Facebook Tuesday describing how he managed to capture his son Eden’s near-encounter with the 8-foot shark while he was surfing at Samurai Beach in Port Stephens. He explained that he was snapping pictures of the surfing session from a jetty, according to UPI. “I see a big dark shape and about to call the small group in and Eden takes of on a left and smashes it to the beach,” he wrote. “Just as he is taking off I see something out of the corner of my eye. I keep shooting and after he finishes and starts paddling out I zoom in on the second photo and see he’s just done a backhand snap on an 8 foot Great White Sharks head.”
However, Hasson didn’t seem too fazed by the incident. “Lucky he didn’t fall off,” he wrote. “This photo is going straight to the pool room. Not everyday you get a photo surfing over a big white. Check its mouth. It’s rolled over having a good look at his yummy yellow new wetsuit.”
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Breaking Down the 2024 Election Calendar
- How Nayib Bukele’s ‘Iron Fist’ Has Transformed El Salvador
- What if Ultra-Processed Foods Aren’t as Bad as You Think?
- How Ukraine Beat Russia in the Battle of the Black Sea
- Long COVID Looks Different in Kids
- How Project 2025 Would Jeopardize Americans’ Health
- What a $129 Frying Pan Says About America’s Eating Habits
- The 32 Most Anticipated Books of Fall 2024
Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com