Terrifying moment great white shark nearly bites off diver’s head after lunging out of the gloom
THIS is the terrifying moment a great white shark nearly chomps off a diver’s head after lunging out of the gloomy open water.
Ron Elliot was swimming in San Francisco when he came face-to-face with the enormous predator.
In the chilling footage, the former pro diver could be seen floating deeper into the cloudy waters, before he turned around to wave at the camera.
But nothing could prepare him for what was about to happen.
As he faces his GoPro which appears tethered to his waist, a large shadow comes out of nowhere and lurks right behind him.
Before Ron realises what is happening, the floating grey blob comes into full focus and viewers are left on the edge of their seats when they notice it’s a great white shark.
The huge predator, with its jaws wide open, lunges for Ron while his back is still facing the creature.
The shark’s jaw knocks the divers head before it has the chance to take a bite in a lucky near miss for the underwater lover.
Footage then shows the great white gliding off above Ron as he’s pushed down towards the seabed while holding his hands above his head.
The clip went viral on social media in 2017, where many people left comments of their shock at the terrifying ordeal.
One wrote: “This is EXACTLY why I don’t swim in the deep end”.
Another said: “I thought I wanted to learn to dive before watching this video”.
A third commented: “Amazing how the top of the shark blends in with the bottom”.
A fourth added: “Nightmare fuel”.
One more joked: “This is levels of scary my brain and underwear cannot handle”.
Ron’s chilling experience led to a short film being produced in 2021 titled Near Miss: The Survival Of A Shark Man.
In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, the 70-year-old diver revealed that he’s been bumped and “buzzed” by sharks during his 400 encounters and has even been bitten by one.
“Whatever happens underwater, when you break the surface, it puts me in a trance,” Elliott says in the film.
“There’s a lot of movement, but no sound. That’s what life is about for me, is experiencing the moment. There’s no other thoughts beyond that. So that’s why I do it”.
This comes after a 10ft great white shark was filmed stalking three oblivious surfers at a beach in South Africa.
The beast sniffed its way towards competitors in an elite surfing championship in Jeffreys Bay – the scene of a spine-chilling attack only years earlier.
A massive tiger shark dubbed “Big Mama” also chomped down on a divers head before his pals kicked the creature away.
And in January, a diver had his head ripped off by a giant 19ft great white in front of horrified fishermen in Mexico.