Plunging a knife in again and again, diver Craig Clasen grapples with a 12ft tiger shark to protect a friend. (click to enlarge the pics)
For two hours he wrestled with the giant, spearing it seven times, even drowning the beast before eventually finishing it off with a knife.
Mr Clasen was hunting yellow fin tuna with fellow fisherman Cameron Kirkconnell, photographer D.J Struntz and film maker Ryan McInnis in the Gulf of Mexico when the encounter took place.The group were about to leave the deep waters south of the Mississippi River's mouth, when Mr McInnis found himself alone in the company of a tiger shark.
With no time to lose, Mr Clasen grabbed his speargun and swam to his stranded friend, who was being circled by the giant predator.
