A huge great white shark tried to tear its way into a metal cage housing three tourists during a dive near Mexico.
Shark expert Jim Partington from Manchester, oversaw the dive near Guadalupe Island with the three women.
The 36-year-old experienced diver gave the tourists more than they were expecting as they were inches away from the predator called Bullet who tried to bite its way inside.
A huge great white shark tried to tear its way into a metal cage housing three tourists during a dive near Mexico
Jim said: ‘We were running an exclusive Shark Week themed expedition to find, film and dive with the world’s largest Great White sharks.
‘We use bait (primarily tuna) which is on our dive permit, typically to attract the sharks.
‘We visit an area where sharks are already naturally hunting, so on many occasions, bait is not even needed as natural curiosity is enough sometimes to attract the sharks attention.
Shark expert Jim Partington from Manchester, oversaw the dive near Guadalupe Island with the three women
The 36-year-old experienced diver gave the tourists more than they were expecting as they were inches away from the predator which was called Bullet
The great white shark clamped her powerful jaws down on the metal bars of the protective cage
One of the tourists can be seen holding up her camera just inches away from the shark’s teeth
‘In this particular case, no bait was used at the time. The animal was simply curious about us being the visitors in its world.’
The shark, a fully mature female, of around two tonnes, was one Jimmy had seen in the ocean before and named Bullet due to a distinctive marking on her dorsal fin resembling a bullet hole.
He said: ‘We have seen this shark a number of times over the years of operating at Guadalupe Island and she has become one of our favourites.
‘She is one of the largest Great White sharks you are likely to encounter.
The shark, a fully mature female, of around two tonnes, was one Jimmy had seen in the ocean before
He gave the shark name Bullet, due to a distinctive marking on her dorsal fin resembling a bullet hole
‘Every Great White shark has its own personality. Some are shy whereas some are more bold.
‘This is one of the reasons we have got to know each individual shark so well over the years.
‘Often the larger females such as Bullet are less shy than the younger males and on this occasion, she had been interacting and swimming around the boat for around 30 minutes getting more and more interested in our vessel and our cages over time.
‘She took a liking to one of the cage floats which is attached to the side of the cage and used her mouth to test and find out for herself what this object was.
Jim explained that often the larger females such as Bullet are less shy and more curious than the younger males
The women in the footage remain relaxed throughout the encounter, bravely filming as the shark explores the cage with its mouth
Jim said he had no concerns and confirmed that the people inside the cage were not injured
‘Only a shark with the size and bold personality of Bullet would have the confidence to try such a thing.’
The women in the footage remain relaxed throughout the encounter, bravely filming as the shark explores the cage with its mouth.
Jim too had no concerns and commented: ‘None of the women were injured in any way.
‘Contrary to popular belief, most sharks ignore the cages and only on very rare occasions do moments like this occur.
‘When and if encounters like this do happen, our cages are designed to withstand the challenge.
The shark expert said he was more concerned about the safety and well-being of Bullet because he knew the cage was secure
The footage ends with the shark losing interest in the cage and swimming off
‘Of course safety for our guests is our number one priority but I knew that they were safe within the cage so my next concern was that of the safety of Bullet.
‘Although this was a natural exploration we did not want the shark to accidentally injure herself in any way.’
The footage ends with the shark losing interest in the cage and swimming off.
Jim said: ‘Over the years I have witnessed much interaction such as this and I knew that the encounter would only last a few moments before the shark would get bored, realise the float was not of any interest to it, let go and swim away’
‘You just have to sit these moments out, make sure people are safe and let the shark move on peacefully.’