Postman Martin Yelland was stunned by this close encounter with a shark on a dive off the Cornish coast.
Martin, 38, an avid wildlife photographer, was on a snorkeling trip near Penzance when the blue shark, a species that can grow up to 13 feet long, swam right at him.
And it hung around for about an hour before being scared away by a group of 80 dolphins.
Martin, who lives in St. Erth, Cornwall, told Cornwall Live: “It was a really memorable encounter.
“The night before the shark snorkel I was scared, but when I saw the sharks I was just excited to get in the water as they were so graceful and curious.
“At no point was I afraid, the sharks were curious, but by no means aggressive.
“The blue sharks get so close that sometimes you have to avoid them because we’ve been told never to touch them.”
Martin, father of two children, dedicated himself to wildlife photography after founding his family and has been photographing local wild animals such as kingfishers, jackdaws, badgers, foxes and deer for many years.
He added, “It was such a hustle and bustle and seeing the pod of dolphins was crazy too.
“We went on the snorkeling trip with a group of 10 and enjoyed it so much that I booked again next week.
“I’ve always been surfing and recently been into wildlife photography, but seeing the sharks up close was one of the best things I’ve ever done.”
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