The controversial footage shows a man at Delaware's Cape Henlopen State Park Beach scooping a shark out of the water and holding its mouth open to pose with it.
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The man picked up the shark after it had approached him in the water, holding it for a moment before he managed to prize its jaws open.
Onlookers were shocked to see what the man was doing but some were also impressed. One woman can be heard calling out:
Wow, that's a big a** shark!
A huge crowd gathered around the man and many filmed the scenario. The video of the man and the shark on the shoreline was obtained by Fox 5 and shared by internet users on Facebook where the clip quickly gained over 20,000 views.
Despite the encouragement from the crowd on the beach, the act was in itself controversial and potentially deadly for the shark who was not only pulled backwards in the water, but he also lifted the shark from the water, both of which could have caused the animal to suffocate.
Not seen on the footage, however, was the man who apparently put the shark back down where it swam away safely.
Social media user Rachael Foster who posted the video stated:
t was so cool. And we come on the beaches a lot. Probably two to three times a week in fact - but ut we’ve never experienced anything like that. Everyone started yelling, ‘Shark, shark, get out of the water! It was so crazy, like a movie. Like Jaws
The shark encounter comes not long after a 12-year-old boy was bitten by a shark nearby. The kid survived the attack but the incident caused a shutdown for surfing and swimming at Herring Point.
Check out the video above to witness the encounter for yourself!
