Jaws moment: Great white shark bites into boat of alarmed Australian family

A group out fishing off Australia's south-east coast came face-to-face with a fish they never expected to get so close in a nerve racking encounter.

Darcy Russell uploaded footage just under a minute long, showing a great white shark circling their boat and at one point seemingly trying to take a bite at the craft's motor. In her post, Russell said that the group was only 2km off the coast when the shark started circling them.

She added that the incredible creature was over 4m (15feet) long and stayed with them for "at least 5 minutes". The size of their boat was listed at about 18 feet.

We were in total shock, we couldn't believe what had just happened. It was crazy," Darcy Russell said. "It was just dangerous. If one of us had fallen in the water, I don't think we would have had much chance. If it got hold of you, you would not last long."

The shark caught the crew by surprise, as it bit the motor at the back of the boat and chewed it, leaving marks.

Speaking with the Advertiser, a local publication, Dani McKinnon, another member of the group, said that the shark "nudged the boat a few times The width of it as well, it was just so big — it was like a bus. We were just in awe. ". She admitted being "quite worried" at some moment but added "I think it was just being curious."

The group told the paper that they assumed the shark came towards them as they had bait out. They also made sure to warn other nearby boats of the great beast's presence.

The incident took place near Port Mcdonnell, off the coast of Eight Mile Creek.

The season of shark stories seems well and truly upon us now. In California, beaches had to close after sightings of 25 great whites. Further south on the Mexican coast, two men found a wounded shark in shallow waters and managed to take incredible close-up video of the huge creature.