Shark Bay is known for being heavily populated with sharks, something British diver John Craig, 34, knew when heading into the water.
Joined by his diving partner, Craig got into trouble after free-dive spearfishing in the popular Australian area.
After his spear became stuck in a rock, his boat and his partner had drifted away, leaving him nearly five miles out at sea surrounded by sharks.
He then realised he was also being approached by a tiger shark.
Craig told ABC: “Suddenly I saw a huge four-metre tiger shark approaching within arm’s reach.
“Its head was nearly a metre wide, it was about three times the girth of me and it was just like a submarine just circling.
“I quickly turned and saw another large sandbar whaler circling behind me and it was at that point I decided to give up on getting to the boat and save myself.”
He then realised he had to swim to shore to try and save himself.
After three hours, using his spear and gentle swimming motions to not provoke the sharks, he eventually made it to shore having survived.
“By the time I got to the beach, I was exhausted. I could barely stand, my legs were so sore from the 7.5-kilometre swim,” he told ABC.
The diver, originally from Sunderland, was met by boats and planes who had been sent out to find him, fearing the worst.
Thankfully, he came away without injury and met his wife, Emma unharmed.
Despite his ordeal, Craig said won’t it would deter him from going into the sea with the creatures again, something he has done numerous times before without a problem.
He said: “If the circumstances were different I would have been stoked to have that experience.”
Tiger sharks are the second-highest in reported attacks against humans, only beaten by the great white shark, according to the International Shark Attack File.
A surfer in Australia also had not one, but two close calls with sharks in the water.
During a surf competition, athlete Mick Fanning can be seen battling with a great white shark as it gets tangled in his surfboard.
