This man nearly lost his hand after trying to film a great white shark

In this video, we see can see just that. This clip was filmed off the coast of South Africa in Mossel Bay. A tour boat containing diving enthusiasts were using bait on a boathook to lure great whites close to the diving cage that was full of spectators.

Watching from above sea level was a man named Allen who was using his go-pro to film the incredible encounter. Excited to witness and capture the shark on video, Allen may have been a bit too ambitious in his quest to capture the footage.

As you can see in the video, the 12-foot great white shark breaches the surface of the water, taking the bait handler by surprise, as well as our friend Allen.

As the shark is grabbing onto the bait, his mouth opens to adjust for a better grip on his prey, but the bait handler manages to pull the bait out of its mouth at that moment.

As the shark loses the bait, in a desperate attempt to get it back he again lunges out of the water but ends up lunging right at our mate Allen. You can see for a moment in the frame some very sharp and very scary-looking teeth. Teeth that could have very easily taken Allen's hand let alone his go pro.

Allen's reaction, however, was more along the lines of terrified excitement as he continued to film the animal despite the near loss of his hand.