Passengers on a boat tour captured the moment a daring dog jumped directly onto a 12ft hammerhead shark and scared it off.
Around 30 tourists were on a boat trip in the Bahamas when they were excited to spot a massive hammerhead shark, which is rare on trips.
But then suddenly a dog from a nearby dock dived into the water to confront the threatening sea creature.
Tourists aboard the four-hour excursion can be heard shouting and pleading with the dog to turn back, in a video circulating on social media. “Oh my god!” and “Get out baby!” and “Stop going after it!”
“I don’t think the shark is going to mess with him!” exclaimed one man.
The dog ignored the cries and swam towards the 12ft shark, which thrashed about in confusion as the two animals circled each other near a private island in the southern Bahamas.
Despite the huge size difference between the island mutt and the sea beast, the dog appeared to scare the shark off back out into the ocean.
It eventually conceded and swam away slowly as the delighted tourists watched on.
Company reservations manager Rebecca Lightbourn told The Associated Press on Friday that the black-and-tan dog always runs along the shore to greet the boat when it passes that island. But it’s the first time it was seen diving in.
“I guess this time the dog decided he wanted to protect his house or play with a really big fish in the water, so he went after it,” Lightbourn said.
Speaking to Today, she also said the dog - nicknamed 'Rufus' - was a Bahamian Potcake, and belongs to a caretaker on the private island.
She said she had seen the dog since the encounter, and that he is "100% A-ok."
Tourists could be heard yelling "good boy," in the video while another said: "'How'd he get away with that?"
When the shark swam away from the pier, the medium-sized dog scrambled back onto the rocks and loped away, and the tourists broke into applause. The boat then headed to a popular area where tourists jump into the water with the renowned Bahamian swimming pigs.
Hammerhead sharks can range from 12 to 18 feet long and weigh about 81 kg.
The tropical area surrounding the private island is inhabited by “the rich and famous,” with notable names like Johnny Depp.
The company always makes it a point to “slow down as part of the excursion, just to point out and talk about private islands that are owned by celebrities,” Ms Lightbourn said.
