Smile for the camera... but don't eat it (or me)! Great white shark gets a little too close for comfort

By Mail Foreign Service

What a snap! The shark says cheese for photographer Don Carpenter

It's the toothy grin that nightmares are made of.
But despite staring into the jaws of death, this diver still had the presence of mind to take a picture.

This amazing image from photographer Don Carpenter show him fending off a great white shark, pushing its snout, then putting his hand in its mouth.

More astonishing photos, taken from a nearby cage, show how powerful these killers are as the 15ft, one-and-a-half ton shark nudges.

The shots were taken off Guadeloupe Island, Mexico by Mr Carpenter, who spent two days diving with the female Great White.

Due to local regulations, he was not allowed to scatter fish guts, known as 'chumming', or put decoys in the water to attract the predators.

The group of divers were in the cages 30 feet down when the great white approached, first checking out Don's cage, where she got snapped the close-up.

Great whites often use their mouths and their incredibly sensitive snouts to explore unfamiliar objects.

Their reputation as ferocious predators is well-earned, yet they are not (as was once believed) indiscriminate 'eating machines'. They are ambush hunters, taking prey by surprise from below


Er, too close for comfort: One of Mr Carpenter's companions, presumably in a temporary moment of insanity, reaches his hand out to grasp the 15-foot shark by the nose


Oooh, shiny: The preening shark discovers the camera lens

He said: 'Don't kid yourself for one minute - when you're touching the nose of a great white you're thinking two things: how fast can I get back into the cage and will it hurt when she rips my torso off and leaves my legs standing there?

'As I was taking the shot I was being pulled back in by my fellow divers.'

The shark then switched its attention to the other cage. Don continued: 'Without a reference point this great white wouldn't look particularly big, but next to the cage filled with divers you can see how big she is.

'We figure she was around 15 feet long and about a ton and a half in weight. As she went for the other cage, I just kept on taking pictures.

'It was all very quick but you can see the diver pushing the shark away. I even captured him with his hand in her mouth at one point.

'It was by far one of the most amazing experiences I have had in the ocean. Because of regulation we were not allowed to put decoys in the water nor were we allowed to chum for sharks.

'The great white came and hung out with us for two days with no gain other than to check us out. She was quite docile in an unprovoked state.

'This was nice because these giants are portrayed as man eaters, but when she did go for the cage you can see their colossal power.'


source: dailymail