Chilling Moment As Surfer Lies Still On Paddle Board While A Great White Shark Circles Him

A surfer from Brooklyn was just out to catch some good waves on Cape Cod, off Nauset Beach, in Massachusetts, before something unexpected happened.

He heard something splashing in the water while surfing, when he turned he saw a great white shark circling him.

With nowhere to go, Devon Zimmerman 'froze' and decided to stay still with his legs above the paddle board till the shark swam past him.

The photograph, which has gone viral, was shared by Orleans Natural Resources on Facebook with the following caption:

"A reminder to all beachgoers, as we continue into peak season for white shark activity. At 8:00 AM on Friday 9/20, there was a near encounter with a white shark and a surfer off Nauset Beach. Please remain vigilant."

Orleans Camera and Video owner Joe Mault told the Herald he saw it all through the lens of his Canon 5D Mac IV.

¡°The surfer spotted the fin over his shoulder and knew he had to get out,¡± Mault said of the unnerving Friday morning close encounter. ¡°I saw the wake, then the fin and then the tail. It came closer than you¡¯d ever want to be to one of those things.¡±

Mault said that he had shouted out a warning to the surfer but continued to shoot pictures as Zimmerman tried to swim as fast as possible.

Zimmerman, told reporters that that he'd only been out on the water for about two minutes when he spotted the fin cutting through the water.

"It was pure shock, and you see literally the moment when I recognize what it is, and my only response is to lift my feet out of the water and drop my jaw," said Zimmerman to WCVB-5 News.