Diver stares into jaws of Great White shark

Diver stares into jaws of Great White shark. A diver stared into the jaws of a Great White shark and pushed its snout before putting his hand in its mouth.

The inquisitive great white shark checks out the contents of the cage Photo: DON CARPENTER

These remarkable pictures were taken from a nearby cage off Guadeloupe Island, Mexico, by photographer Don Carpenter, who spent two days diving with the female Great White.

Local regulations ban scattering fish guts, known as 'chumming', or putting decoys in the water to attract the sharks, so the meeting was entirely natural.

These remarkable pictures were taken from a nearby cage off Guadeloupe Island, Mexico, by photographer Don Carpenter, who spent two days diving with the female Great White.

Local regulations ban scattering fish guts, known as 'chumming', or putting decoys in the water to attract the sharks, so the meeting was entirely natural.

The group of divers were in the cages 30 feet down when the 15ft Great White approached, first approaching Mr Carpetner's cage.

"Don't kid yourself for one minute when you're practically touching the nose of a Great White you're thinking two things: how fast can I get back into the cage and will it hurt when she rips my torso off and leaves my legs standing there," he said.

"As I was taking the shot I was being pulled back in by my fellow divers."

The shark then switched its attention to the other cage.

Mr Carpenter added: "Without a reference point this Great White wouldn't look particularly big, but next to the cage filled with divers you can see how big she is.

"We figure she was around 15 feet long and about a ton and a half in weight. As she went for the other cage, I just kept on taking pictures.

"It was all very quick but you can see the diver pushing the shark away. I even captured him with his hand in her mouth at one point.

"It was by far one of the most amazing experiences I have had in the ocean. Because of regulation we were not allowed to put decoys in the water nor were we allowed to chum for sharks.

"The Great White came and hung out with us for two days with no gain other than to check us out. She was quite docile in an unprovoked state.

"This was nice because these giants are portrayed as man eaters, but when she did go for the cage you can see their colossal power." ( telegraph.co.uk )