While it's safe to say that most of the time sharks are wholly uninterested in humans, it's important to remember that encountering these predators can have deadly consequences.
One such occasion was the grisly fate of a seasoned diver, who had previously made a macabre comment before meeting an untimely and gruesome demise.
Friends Randy Fry and Cliff Zimmerman were experienced divers and fishermen, and had been diving together for a long time.
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50-year-old Randy, from California, in particular had loved diving and being in the water.
The pair had gone for a dive off the coast of Fort Bragg, California on 15 August, 2004, to hunt for abalone - a large type of sea snail which is a delicacy.
The waters they were diving in were home to a large population of sharks, but the pair were not fazed at the prospect of diving with the marine predators.
Unfortunately, this dive would end in tragedy.
When they had dived into the water to begin their search for abalone, Cliff recalled that a fin had appeared between him and his friend.
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Randy was suddenly attacked by a shark, which was estimated to be an 18-foot-long great white and was powerful enough to completely tear the experienced diver apart. This resulted in Randy's head being torn apart from his body.
Cliff said of the attack: “I heard a noise, like 'whoosh,' like a submarine, like a boat going by fast. It was a shark. He came for the kill. It was over in five seconds”.
And to make things even more tragic, Randy had previously said in passing that if he 'had to go', he would want it to be 'in the water'.
Despite ripping Randy to pieces under the water, the shark did not consume any of the diver, and parts of his body was later found washed up on the shore the next day. His head was found three weeks later.
As Randy's blood filled the water, another fisherman called Red pulled Cliff onto his boat and called the coastguard for help.
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He said: “When I saw the pool of blood spread across the surface of the water, I knew Randy was gone."
Cliff said of the horrific turn of events: “It was the most dramatic thing I ever saw in my life. It's just not real. This monster came so fast, it happened so fast and was over so fast you think, 'How can this happen?'”
“It was terrible. I almost had a heart attack myself. It could have been me.”
Featured Image Credit: Stephen Frink via Getty Images / norcalskindiversTopics: Animals, Shark Attacks, Sharks, US News