INCREDIBLE underwater images show the moment a group of divers came face-to-face with a 13-foot-long tiger shark.
The spectacular sequence shows the divers reaching out and even petting the 500kg predators as the inquisitive beasts inspect the camera.
Other pictures, taken in the Bahamas, show the sharks appearing to swim with the divers as they move towards the water’s surface.
Photographer, Steve Hinczynski, 49, “I’ve been on numerous shark expeditions before but what made this one different was we would have a first timer with us.
“That by itself isn’t uncommon but several years ago, he had been bitten by a tiger shark while body boarding and lost his lower leg.”
Mike Coots, who is pictured in the images, lost his leg in October 1997 after a terrifying tiger shark attack whilst surfing.
Like Mike, Steve said that he wants to show people that sharks aren’t mindless killers and that they need protection.
He said: “I want to do whatever I can to try to save sharks and dispel media driven hype that sharks are mindless killers.
“We need to be respectful of what they are capable of but we shouldn’t be fearful of them. We can all share their waters.
“There’s an incredible feeling of acceptance when they start swimming next to you.”
