Two South African fisherman accidentally caught the juvenile great white while fishing off of Plettenberg Beach, South Africa.

As great white sharks are a protected species in the country fishing of the animal is illegal, and after inadvertently reeling it in the pair set about helping the shark free before it suffocated. After finally dislodging the hook from the shark’s mouth, the race was then on to drag the creature back into deep enough water. At first the shark was so exhausted it seemed unable to swim away, but eventually it was able to summon up sufficient energy to propel itself beyond the breaking waves. It was only a young shark with a lot of growing left to do, but it still looks like it could happily tear you limb from limb, and the boys do a pretty good job.

The footage, which is here accompanied by some truly riveting commentary, was captured by Zimbabwean Lars Liedberd, who was having breakfast in a beachside restaurant at the time.

