People left terrified after spotting chilling detail in image of family at the beach

Noticing something peculiar in the background of a photo that you took must be a heart-dropping feeling... imagine the questions racing through your head.

Luckily, most of us won't have to go through that and can instead learn about some of the harrowing instances where people have got a nasty shock, such as the iconic hen party snap, or suggestions of Bigfoot in the US.

It's all a bit weird if we're being honest, and seeing as we never really get a full explanation behind these strange images, all we can do is theorise.

And this one is no different.

The creepy photo was snapped at a Melbourne beach (Getty Stock Photo)

A family were soaking in the sun at a beach in Melbourne, Australia, and took some photos to commemorate their day.

But looking back at their snaps at Carrum beach, one stood out in particular.

In the photo, we can see a father and his daughter waving at the camera, unaware of what was really behind them.

Only noticing the detail when they got back home, the family were shocked to see that something was sticking out of the water just a few metres away from the pair.

The dramatic discovery caused the family to post the snap on social media where it went viral, with users arguing about what it could have been, what the shape really was, or it was all an illusion.

See if you can spot it here:

Can you spot the shape? (Facebook)

You can see it behind the father and daughter in the distance sticking out of the water.

A lot of people's first instincts were to say it was a shark, while others wrote this possibility off completely.

One said on Facebook: "Looks like a small shark so maybe that's why no one was attacked."

Another agreed: "Couldn’t be a very big one, given the size of the dog and the depth of the water."

However, a third pointed out: "I mean this is not a small shark, but a baby whale. Shark is not that dark," with another adding: "It’s not a dolphin or a sting ray? They come fairly close to the shore. Jesus though… not keen to take the whippet for a swim now"

Honestly, it could be any of the above.

Is it a shark, whale, dolphin, sting ray, or none at all? I guess we'll never know (Facebook)

However, local rescue unit SES Chelsea also reported a shark sighting in the same area on the same day the family took the snap.

“We posted about a shark sighting, just off the beach, between Bonbeach and Chelsea. Well later, we received a message from a family, who follow our page, who were at Carrum Beach earlier in the morning,” they explained.

The organisation noted it was the child's first visit to the beach, and asked: “Later, when they got home and looked at the pictures, they noticed something in the shallow water, just behind them. Was this our shark?”