As stunning as it is terrifying, striking footage shows two hungry great white sharks closing in for bits of tuna just feet away from a British photographer.
Captured by underwater snapper Euan Rannachan, 36, the dramatic footage shows a shark named Keyser Soze coming straight at the camera with its mouth wide open and reaching for its meal.
And in footage reminiscent of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, a thrilling video captured the terrifying shark Brutus searching for another piece of tuna.
The intrepid photographer was undeterred when he managed to dive and shoot the video at the same time.
These stunning photos were taken on Guadalupe Island off the coast of Baja California, Mexico.
Hungry shark Brutus reaches for a piece of tuna off Guadalupe Island, Mexico
The hungry great white sharks were captured by a British photographer feeding on tuna
Guadalupe Island, Mexico is an island where these great white sharks are regularly sighted and can weigh between 1,500 and 4,000 pounds.
The island, which is a migratory route for elephants and fur seals, has become a regular haunt for these sharks, which can grow up to 21 feet in length.
These images were shot by London-born filmmaker and photographer Euan using a Nikon D850 in an Aquatech water housing, which protects and secures camera and other underwater equipment.
“In the photos you can see a shark named Keyser Soze spinning and going to get a piece of tuna on the surface a stone’s throw from me,” said Euan.
‘In the video you can see Brutus going for another piece of tuna.
“I took pictures of this as well as my GoPro.
“These full-mouth shots don’t happen very often, so being in the right place at the right time is something indescribable.”
While these sharks were lured with chunks of tuna, a fish they would hunt in the wild, the massive creatures could easily eat much larger chunks.
Unfortunately for Euan and other shark enthusiasts who use diving cages to view the animals, the Mexican government recently decided to ban the practice.
A little close for comfort: the striking images were shot by London-born filmmaker and photographer Euan Rannachan using a Nikon D850 in an Aquatech water housing
Terrifying and striking footage shows a great white shark named Keyser Soze with its mouth wide open
Hunting: The massive beast can be seen scavenging tuna chunks in the striking portraits
A piece of tuna appears to dangle in the water for Brutus the shark, who clamps his jaws around it before heading towards photographer Euan
As of January 10, ‘all tourist activities and film and TV productions on Isla Guadalupe’ are prohibited, it announced at the beginning of this year.
It came after two decades of film crews flocking to the popular shark viewing site.
Now campaigners, including Euan, are urging the government to change its mind.
“To date, the cage submersibles have been the most practical means of monitoring, providing constant cost-effective access to independent observers and researchers,” the BeAShark group says on its website.
However, Mexican authorities have pointed to two instances where sharks were seriously injured and died after becoming trapped in the bars of a dive cage, saying these cases show how the practice can endanger the creatures.
Since 1996, white sharks have been listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
However, they are not considered an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act in the US.
While the great white shark is estimated to be increasing in abundance in the Northeast Pacific and Indian Oceans, its abundance is declining from historic levels in the Northwest Atlantic and South Pacific, according to the IUCN.
But sharks can also pose a threat to humans, with recent videos showing close calls between swimmers and the critters.
Footage emerged earlier this week of the shocking moment when a 220-pound shark sank its teeth into a snorkeler, leaving her with a grisly six-inch wound to her side in the Maldives.
Carmen Canovas Cervello, 30, was diving with a friend in the paradise island’s Vaavu Atoll when the eight-foot nurse shark lunged at her, clamping its jaws on her side.
Dramatic footage shows the creature circling the bikini-clad tourist before suddenly turning and attacking her.
Amazingly, the woman decided to jump right back in for a second dive after cleaning the wound left by the disgruntled nurse shark.
Cervello and friend Ibrahim Shafeeg, 37, an underwater photographer who captured the amazing images, had been free swimming with the school of sharks for more than 45 minutes before disaster struck.
And last week, a 58-year-old surfer was hospitalized in serious condition after being bitten in the leg by an eight-foot tiger shark off the coast of Honolulu, authorities said.
