Three boaters who failed to return from a fishing trip were rescued from shark-infested waters after the United States Coast Guard (USCG) witnessed a scene straight out of Jaws on Sunday 9 October.

The trio reportedly became stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for more than a day after their 24-foot fishing boat sank at approximately 10am on Saturday morning, leaving them with no means of communication. After they were reported missing by a concerned family member, the USCG dispatched helicopter and boat crews for a rescue mission spanning 1,250 square miles—roughly the size of Rhode Island.

The boaters were first spotted about 25 miles off the coast of Empire, Louisiana, by the air crew from a USCG station in Corpus Christi, Texas. While one of the survivors was hoisted onto a helicopter with the help of a rescue swimmer, a boat crew pulled the other two aboard after witnessing them “fending off sharks, along with injuries to both boater’s hands.”

“The two boaters were pulled from the water by the boat crew before additional injuries could occur,” officials stated. A photo later shared by USCG Heartland showed large tears in one of the lifejackets which they said was the result of a gruesome shark attack.

“The survivors experienced severe hyperthermia, dehydration, fatigue, and shark attacks during their 28 hours adrift at sea,” USCG Air Station Corpus Christi wrote on Facebook, adding that all three boaters were then rushed to University Medical Center, New Orleans. While two of them suffered shark bites to their hands, one showed signs of severe hypothermia. As of today, all of them are reported to be in stable condition.

“We searched an area roughly the size of Rhode Island and are thankful to have found these missing boaters,” Lieutenant Commander Kevin Keefe told news outlets. “If the family member had not notified the Coast Guard, and if these three boaters were not wearing life jackets, this could’ve been a completely different outcome.”

In a Facebook post, USCG Heartland also went on to share a video of the rescue mission—in which the survivors were seen splashing desperately in what seemed like mildly-bloodied waters. “Rescued just in the nick of time,” the organisation wrote.

Do you ever find yourself laughing hysterically out of nervousness? What about when faced with the possibility of being eaten alive by a massive great white shark? Nope? Oh well…

In a video shared on TikTok by @xdeep_blue, an impressively-sized shark can be seen circling a boat as the group onboard are heard repeating ‘Oh my God’ probably more than Usher and will.i.am in their R&B club track ‘OMG’.

First, the beast seems to approach the boat’s engine, sending whoever’s filming into full panic mode. But as soon as the shark seems to go away, it comes back for more, this time lunging towards the left side of the boat’s rear.

While it’s hard to see everything on the clip due to the shakiness of the person filming, it doesn’t appear like the shark managed to take a real bite out of it. Nevertheless, it’s no surprise that the poor souls who just witnessed the attack are left terrified—potentially panicked that the great white may come back for seconds.

But if you felt sorry for the group like we did too, don’t. As revealed at the very end of the viral video, the shark was only attracted to the boat because the individuals on it thought it’d be great fun to dangle off a bit of meat on a rope attached to it.

It doesn’t take a genius to guess why the animal got so excited—it probably smelt the blood coming from the piece of meat from miles away. Hence why, when the group of bozos decided to pull the rope out of the water, the shark went for it one last time, making sure it got every last bite out of that bait.

No wonder it nibbled on the boat too—it was probably attempting to sniff out dinner.

https://www.tiktok.com/@xdeep_blue/video/7135036219574062341

Although other shark species such as the tiger shark and the bull shark are definitely up there too, great whites are considered the most aggressive and deadliest out of around 500 different species. According to AZ Animals, great whites have been recorded in 333 attacks on humans, with 52 of them being fatal.

“The fact is, when a great white shark spots a swimmer or surfer from below, they may not be able to differentiate them from their favourite meal: seals,” the publication further explained. In other words, humans aren’t what great whites usually stalk—they simply can’t see that well.

That being said, they are excellent hunters…