Shocking video captured a woman narrowly avoiding the jaws of a great white shark off the coast of Georgia after hanging her arm over the side of a boat.
The astonishing footage was taken by the Knot Lucky Fishing crew during a mission off Tybee Island.
Jen, a veteran crew member, was seen petting a great white shark the team had reeled in for its tagging program, which collects data on the sharks' travel patterns.
As she petted the beast as if it were a fluffy pup, the shark showed its power by swinging its head toward her arm, even while it was hooked by its jaw.
Its powerful thrust could be heard as it smacked its head against the side of the boat.
The crew wrote on Facebook Sunday that the close call was a moment everyone on board felt 'in their chest.'
But they added that Jen was never in danger: 'The crew had that shark under control the whole time, and it never got close enough to do any harm.'
'But that reaction right there is a reminder of exactly what these animals are. Beautiful. Powerful. Wild. They deserve every ounce of respect we can give them.'
The footage was taken by the Knot Lucky Fishing crew during a mission to tag great white sharks for data off Tybee Island
Jen, a veteran crew member, was seen petting a great white shark when it lunged at her
The organization said it was unable to tag the shark because the crew could not get a safe shot without putting themselves or the animal in danger.
'The shark's safety and the crew's safety come first, every single time, so we let that shark go to swim another day,' said the crew's post.
Knot Lucky Fishing's shark program also honors fallen American service members by naming sharks after them once they are tagged and involving veterans in its conservation efforts.
The organization uses offshore fishing trips to help veterans suffering from PTSD.
Jimmy Armel, co-founder of Knot Lucky Fishing, shared a touching story Tuesday of the first shark the crew tagged with the Daily Mail.
'Our very first shark was named Christopher Shane Wright, after my close friend Chris,' said Armel. 'We served together in Iraq for 15 months and went through Ranger selection together.'
'Chris was killed in combat in 2010. His shark traveled more than 750 nautical miles from Savannah and stayed at large for 180 days before the tag released off Massachusetts. Somewhere out there, Chris is still on patrol.'
Footage of the mission caught viewers off guard on X, with many leaving unsavory comments about Jen petting the shark.
The organization's tagging program collects data on the sharks' travel patterns. The crew also uses offshore fishing trips to help veterans dealing with PTSD (Stock Image)
'Stick a hook in my mouth and I'll lunge at you when you go to pet me,' wrote one user.
Last year was an unusually deadly year for shark attacks, according to the latest report.
While there were 65 shark attacks recorded last year – slightly below the 10-year average of 72 – nine proved fatal, compared to an average of just six.
The US was the worst country for shark attacks, with 25 bites, accounting for 38 per cent of the global total.
Australia also had one of its worst years for shark bites in recent history, recording 21 bites compared to the five-year average of just 13.
