INCHES FROM A KILLER
Giant sharks swim terrifyingly close to photographer in incredible pics taken in Mexico
A BRITISH photographer has shown off stunning images of great white sharks snapped milliseconds before the beasts try to bite him.
Euan Rannachan, 35, who now lives in California, has been spending the last few years getting cuddly with the nightmarish predators off the coast of Guadalupe Island, the westernmost point of Mexico.
Having watched Jaws as a child, Euan soon became fascinated with sharks. He now regularly spends up to six hours diving with these impressive creatures becoming the daredevil he dreamed of becoming as a child.
The images show a great white shark that swam straight for the photographer, swimming just inches past him.
Lured towards the shiny camera, Euan admitted that the sharks often accidentally come for him instead of the bait.
In one image, a 2,200-pound shark breaks through the surface of the sea, its Jaws-like teeth preparing to latch on to the bait.
In another, a shark swims directly towards the camera with the nearby divers piquing its interest.
In one instance, Euan was just inches away from an astounding 20-foot-long great white shark.
Guadalupe Island is the most westerly point in Mexico. Around 200 miles off the shore of the island lies an old volcano which is a popular migration stop for seals.
Many researchers believe that sharks are drawn to the island as a last supper of sorts before mating season.
As for how scary they look, while shark attacks on humans do occur, they are very uncommon and usually a case of mistaken identity – confusing a human on a surfboard for a seal for example.
In fact people are more likely to suffer a fatal lightning strike than they are to experience a deadly encounter with a shark.
But climate change, poor fishing regulations and human interference has seen shark populations around the world drop by as much as 90 per cent in the last five decades.
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There is very little information on great white sharks behaviour and biology, despite their fame, they are incredibly under-researched.
With the species conservation status listed as vulnerable, Euan is helping researchers by donating his images.
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