
One of the world's most deadly predators, the Great White Shark catches unsuspecting seals in the blink of an eye with a swift pounce and lethal bite.

But this one added a flourish to its hunting technique, demonstrating awesome power with a stunning backflip in the waters off Seal Island in False Bay, South Africa.

The jaw-dropping moment stunned thrill-seekers watching from a catamaran who had deployed a dummy seal in a bid to lure the shark towards them.

Acrobatic: This great white demonstrated awesome power with a stunning backflip in the waters off Seal Island in False Bay, South Africa

Heat-pounding: The jaw-dropping moment stunned thrill-seekers watching from a catamaran who had deployed a dummy seal in a bid to lure the shark towards them

The hungry shark leaped from the water and bit down on the catamaran's dummy seal before disappearing into the waves.

Yirui Heng, from Singapore, photographed the action, which lasted for just seconds.

The 26-year-old veterinary surgeon said: 'It was awe-inspiring to see a great white shark backflip out of the water.

'When the nose of the shark first broke the surface of the water, I was in complete disbelief.

'Thankfully, my instinct to press the shutter came quick enough for me to catch the shark in flight, completely out of the water.

'It happened within a matter of seconds, and the loud excited cheers from the boat must have lasted for minutes afterwards.'

Yirui waited for 15 minutes to catch a glimpse of the shark, which was attracted to the catamaran by a fibreglass decoy seal, used by the tour operators to increase the chances of a shark sighting.

Fooled: The hungry shark leaped from the water and bit down on the catamaran's dummy seal before disappearing into the waves

Yirui said: 'This was my first ever encounter with a great white shark. I feel extremely fortunate to have gone out to sea that day. The shark was just 10 metres away from the boat.

'I feel that sharks are often misunderstood by humans and are in fact curious, amiable and fantastic creatures to observe.'

During shark season in South Africa, which is between April and October, the Great White Shark is known to prey on the Cape fur seals found off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa