THIS is the terrifying moment a 11-year-old boy was stalked by a shark in the waves during a surfing competition.
Horrified onlookers at the Satellite Beach in Florida sounded the alarm after the huge beast took an interest in young Tanner Brasol before he quickly made it back to shore.
Dramatic footage, captured on September 11, showed the moment the surfer realised that he may be in the danger as he began to pull his limbs out of the water.
The video shows onlookers start to scream and shout in panic as the 11-year-old carefully paddled his way to safety – with the full knowledge that the huge predator is on his tail.
Reliving the experience, Tanner’s mother, Kelly Brasol said “her heart stopped.”
“He got the part where everything was finally a little bit of a relief. That’s where the video that you see picks up where Tanner had just gotten out of the bait pod,” she told News6.
“What was still terrifying, though, is you could still see in the video one of the sharks was very interested in him and continued to follow him.”
Later in the clip, the shark’s silhouette can be seen in a wave as Tanner edges ever closer to safety.
“He was right there in that wave with him,” a man can be heard saying as the young man was pulled to the shore.
Event organiser Charley Hajek later confirmed that “A black tip or bull shark came through the lineup,” prior to the events in the afternoon.
The beast had been attracted by a bait ball – which occurs when a small group of fish pack together.
He told the Miami Herald: “The kids all did a great job getting to the beach. So proud of them. I tell them to always respect the ocean.”
He added that Tanner was “very calm” and “acted like a professional.”
'SOMETHING OUT OF A MOVIE'
The young boy, who began surfing in May of 2020, recalled it was his first experience coming so close to a shark.
“I was very scared,” Tanner told News6.
“I was just like, this is not good. That shark, he’s not happy that I was in his bait. “He thought I was competition for that bait.”
The boy added that it came just hours after he was alerted to the presence of sharks – which his mother had described “as something out of a movie.”
But, after a 45-minute delay, and with no sharks in sight, the contest was allowed to resume, click Orlando report.
Tanner initially thought about withdrawing but eventually decided that the incident would not stop him competing.
“If you stay calm around sharks they won’t attack,” Tanner said. “Keep your feet and hands out of the water.
“I didn’t want to get knocked out [of the competition] and I knew I was not gonna get bit.
“It’s just not that common to get bit. The sharks, they’re not after you, they’re more scared of humans.”
Miraculously, Tanner went on to win his division.
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