Amazing Footage Shows the Moment a 12-Foot Great White Shark Jumped Out of the Water at a Researcher

Amazing footage shows a scientist’s dangerously close encounter with a 12-foot great white shark.

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries researcher Dr. Greg Skomal got the shock of his life when a shark nearly took a bite out of him as he stood at the bow of a boat outside Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Skomal was attempting to capture underwater footage using a GoPro mounted to a painter’s pole. As he was recording, a great white breached directly below him, causing Skomal to leap back.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy captured and posted footage of the close call and posted it on their Facebook page on Monday. The video records the captain yell, “Holy crap! it jumped right out of the water!”

The conservancy said scientists received multiple reports of breaching white sharks from fishermen and boaters – but encounters are rare.

“White sharks are wild and unpredictable animals,” the group said. “This is a good reminder of the importance of not becoming complacent and always staying vigilant when in or on the water.”