A couple had a terrifying near miss after a hammerhead shark swam dangerously close while they were swimming off a beach in Florida.

During the video, captured from a penthouse overlooking the beach in the popular Silver Towers resort in America, the pair can be seen enjoying themselves, totally oblivious to the black mass behind them getting ever closer.

Despite people on the beach shouting at them to leave the water, they only notice the shark's presence when its tail flips out the water and splashes down just yards away.

As they scramble to get out of the water, someone near the camera shouts: “Yeah, now run!”

Fortunately for the swimmers, the hammerhead shark appears more taken with chasing down a stingray than harming them.

There are 11 different species of hammerhead shark, their oddly shaped heads improving their ability to locate and track prey – making them a deadly predator.

Fortunately most hammerheads, owing to their small size, are mostly harmless to humans.