Terrifying moment shark leaps from water just metres away from surfers

A woman recording a surfer taking advantage of an historic swell managed to accidentally capture the moment a shark leaps in front of the breaking wave, just yards from the man.

The biggest swell since 1995 hit the South Shore of Oahu in Hawaii, attracting surfers and onlookers to beaches.

However, a shark was also attracted to the action, and made an appearance in Jan Yamasaki's clip when it leapt out of the water with a majestic mid-air spin.

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She said she recorded the video at Honolulu's Magic Island peninsula on Sunday while surfers were taking advantage on the waves.

The shark in the video appears to be a spinner shark, a species known for jumping in the air while spinning, according to some reports.

But a Waikiki Aquarium official said the predatory fish may have also been a blacktip shark, the species known for its aggression towards humans.

It also could have been a sandbar shark, the official said. This species is relatively docile with humans.

But instead of fear, surfers were simply buzzing with the waves.

“It’s been an epic summer for waves,” Mason Beutel, 39, of Honolulu, a long-time Oahu surfer told local media.

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“I heard it was the biggest swell since 1995 [according to my] friend, who was a beach boy,” he added.

But there is reason to be fearful as there are about forty species of shark in Hawaii, of which eight can be observed near shore, including the reef whitetip, sandbar, scalloped hammerhead and tiger shark, according to the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association.

Tiger sharks are the shark species that most often attack humans in Hawaiian waters.

And some of the largest great whites ever discovered are shown in an upcoming National Geographic documentary, after they were spotted off the coast of Hawaii.

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