Swimmer makes a mad dash to the beach as TWO sharks nip at his heels – and the whole moment is captured on camera by a young girl
- A swimmer has sprinted out of surf after noticing two shark fins right behind him
- He was having a dip in the shallows of Ōhope Beach in New Zealand in January
- Holidaymakers on the shore screamed ‘shark, shark’ to alert the unaware man
This is the terrifying moment a father sprints out of the ocean as two sharks nip at his heels.
The swimmer was enjoying a dip in the shallows of Ōhope Beach, 90 minutes east of Rotorua in New Zealand in late January, when beachgoers screamed ‘shark, shark’.
The terrifying incident was recorded by the man’s 15-year-old daughter Eliza Squire, who was staying at the Ōhope Top 10 Holiday Park.
A swimmer has sprinted out of the surf after beach goers alerted him to the ominous fins (pictured) hovering right behind him
The man (pictured) was enjoying a dip in the shallows of Ōhope Beach, 90 minutes east of Rotorua in New Zealand in late January, when beachgoers screamed ‘shark, shark’
The terrifying incident was captured on tape by a 15-year-old holidaymaker who was staying at the Ōhope Top 10 Holiday Park
The swimmer casually emerged from the surf, having ducked under water and been unable to hear locals shouting loudly from the sand.
He then walked slowly through the seawater, as shark fins are seen terrifyingly close to him before he suddenly turns around.
He makes a dramatic dash to shore, launching himself onto a wave and swimming with broad strokes to get away.
As he reaches closer to land, other people in swimsuits including a young boy, are shown peering out towards the surf to see the fins.
The father of the teenager who took the footage, Phil Squire, said there was a crowd gathering to alert the man in the water.
‘People were shouting, shark, shark! Two fins appeared near the man and he got a huge fright and took off,’ he told Stuff NZ.
The surfer said other people around the beach had heard there were shark sightings.
‘Information does travel up and down the beach and I guess one of the clues that there might be a problem was that there were a lot of people out of the water.’
Mr Squire said people needed to remember the ocean is the domain of marine other creatures and human guests needed to be aware of them.
‘I’m a surfer and you realise these areas are the sharks’ natural habitats and people visiting rightfully need to be careful.’
The unaware man (pictured) first casually emerged from the surf, having ducked under water and been unable to hear the concerned vacationers shouting loudly from the sand
The swimmer (pictured) walked slowly through the seawater at first, as shark fins are seen dangerously close to him before suddenly turning around and clocking the two fins
He dashed to shore, launching himself onto and swimming with broad strokes to get away from the sea creature