Jaws Moment Beachgoers Scramble From Huge Shark

Story ByLee Bullen,Sub EditorMichael Leidig,AgencyCentral European News

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This is the ‘Jaws’-like moment screaming beachgoers frantically swim to the shore as huge shark appears in the shallow water.

The dramatic incident was filmed in the Israeli port city of Eilat on 4th July and the footage has been widely shared on Twitter.

In the footage, reminiscent of the famous ‘get out of the water’ scene in Steve Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster ‘Jaws’, people are seen jumping to their feet in alarm on a packed beach.

Beachgoers shout to people in the sea as a large ominous shark’s fin is seen in the shallow water.

A man yells: “He’s going for that woman! She doesn’t notice it, my God!”

The large shark is then indeed seen heading towards one female bather who then frantically swims to shore when she realises.

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However, the scary fin reportedly belonged to a large whale shark (Rhincodon typus), a slow-moving, filter-feeding carpet shark, and the largest known extant fish species that are considered harmless to humans.

Whale sharks can grow up to 40 feet in length and are docile creatures that pose no danger to humans and feed mainly on plankton.

Though whale sharks are found in warm waters around the world, they rarely come so close to the shoreline.

Despite their lack of threat to humans, an Israeli shark expert advised swimmers to stay well clear of them.

Adi Barash, head of the Sharks in Israel conservation group, said: “The [feeding] season is at its height and they’re getting close to concentrations of plankton.”