The 'luckiest man in the world' has spoken out about his life or death encounter with a Great White Shark.

Nemanja Spasojevic, from San Francisco, US, was looking for crabs in Gray Whale Cove State Beach, California, when he felt a sharp pain in the back of his leg followed by a push.

The 38-year-old said it felt almost like a 'mosquito bite' until he turned around and saw the dead eyes of the powerful predator staring straight back at him.

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Speaking to KPIX about the terrifying encounter which happened in 2021, Nemanja said: "I yelled at the fisherman, 'Hey! Help! Shark attack!'

"It took some time to get his attention, but once he saw me I just kind of dropped onto the sand."

Fortunately, Nemanja was able to escape the waters with his life, suffering around a dozen puncture wounds to his thigh.

He was rushed to San Francisco Hospital for treatment on the bites to his leg, which have left him with a limp.

But he's just glad it wasn't anything bigger.

Nemanja Spasojevic

"He didn't thrash my leg. Gentle bite, let go. If it was not gentle, I wouldn't be here standing," Nemanja told KNTV.

"I['m] probably the luckiest guy in the world, to get hit by a great white and walk out of the hospital the same day."

David Ebert, program director for the Pacific Shark Research Center, told the news channel that sharks aren't out in the water looking for humans.

He believes that this particular Great White probably just mistook Nemanja for a seal.

"[Humans] are not on the menu. We occasionally have shark incidents like we did today, but it's generally very rare," he said.

"In the case of surfers, they probably can't make out exactly what it was. They know there is something there, but doesn't have the same type of vibe that a seal does.

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"It's probably a lot of times where you see the bite and spit. Where the shark will bite the surfer and let it go."

Ebert added: "It's probably more of an investigatory action."

But Nemanja isn't the only one to have had a close call with one of the world's most dangerous killers in recent years.

Fishermen Jordan Marshall and Paul Marriott were out in Catherine Bay in western Australia when a huge shark headed towards them.

Shocking footage caught by the pair shows the shark swimming around the boat before suddenly becoming aggressive and thrashing around in the water.

In the clip, one of the men can be heard to say: "Holy s**t, that is a beast... Oh, he's going at the motor. Sheesh, woah, yeah, f**k."