THIS is the heart-stopping moment a surfer dodges a shark attack by just inches, as the 8ft beast lunges at his feet in the water.
Pro-surfer Matt Wilkinson narrowly avoided a shark attack while surfing near Ballina, on New South Wales North Coast, Australia.
The terrifying moment as the beast edges closer and closer to the surfer was caught on camera.
The surfer said: “I heard a little splash behind me, looked back and there was nothing there, and then the lifeguards drone came down and said that there was a dangerous shark in the area.
“The shark had kind of come at me from in front and then went around the back and had a little go at my legs, then last minute decided that my feet stunk or something and turned away.”
It’s not yet known what kind of shark it was.
Wilkinson said: “It could have been either a little white or a bull shark or a bronzie.
“It was probably about 8 foot long, it looked like it was a few feet longer than me.”
The 32-year-old said that this experience was unlike anything he had felt before, despite having surfed near sharks in the past.
He added: “I’m feeling pretty lucky.
“We get to see sharks a little bit out in the surf but that was definitely my closest encounter and I hope it doesn’t get any closer than that.
“I got to feel that weird, heart-sinking but lucky feeling when I saw that footage.
In 2015, three-time world champion surfer Mick Fanning was attacked by a shark at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.
Wilkinson added: “When I saw the footage I saw the similarities like I had a yellow leg rope on and Mick’s board was yellow is what I was thinking about when I came in.
“But I’m still here in one piece and I’ll live to surf another day.”
