Terrifying moment tourists flee as shark is filmed mid-attack on the coast

Beachgoers were forced to sprint to the shoreline after a shark launched a vicious attack on its prey just metres away from throngs of tourists and locals.

People frantically fled the waters to the safety of the white-sand beach, Spratt Bight, on the Caribbean island of San Andres, north of Colombia, after the dramatic underwater brawl began on Friday (5 January).

Take a look here:

It is a spot that is eerily close to where an Italian tourist was killed in a shark attack in March 2022, so the incident obviously sparked panic among the crowds who had been soaking up the sun.

Chilling footage shared on X shows a large shark thrashing around in the shallow water just metres away from holidaymakers and locals, while a bloke was seen swiftly exiting the ocean clutching a toddler in his arms.

People were seen beckoning their friends and loved ones who were still in the water to head to dry land as others began to film the dramatic incident unfolding on the popular beach.

A tourist worker who was riding a jet ski decided to intervene in the chaos and approached the shark in an attempt to scare it away by circling it, creating ripples in the water which would hopefully deter it from the shore.

X

The dizzying tactic eventually seemed to do the trick, as the shark moved away from the coastline and further out to sea.

It later emerged that the marine animal, described locally as a hammerhead shark, had been tussling with a manta ray in the water.

The bloke on the jet ski was later criticised by San Andres' sustainable development organisation, Coralina, which said there was no real cause for concern while also urging calm among the community.

It said: "They are hammerhead sharks hunting manta rays, they’re part of their diet. Humans are not part of the diet of sharks and even less so with this type of shark, so what people need to do is be careful.

"Sharks are a fundamental part of trophic networks."

X

Marine biology expert Sandra Escobar added: "The important thing is that these incidents not lead to people attacking sharks and regarding them as enemies."

It is believed that beachgoers were immediately panicked on Friday due to the proximity of Spratt Bight to the popular snorkelling area of La Piscinita, where Antonio Straccialini, 56, was tragically killed after a shark attack.

The Italian tourist was bitten by an eight-foot shark while swimming in the water and lost a large chunk of his right thigh, before he sadly went into hypovolemic shock and passed away due to the severe blood loss he suffered.

The incident, which occurred on 12 March, 2022, was described as a first for the area at the time, with an island government spokesman saying: "There are diving programmes with professionals in which sharks pass nearby, but nothing has ever happened."

It is thought that a tiger shark was responsible for the deadly attack which took place nearly two years ago.

Colombian free diver Cristian Castano was then bitten by a shark off the coast of San Andres in July last year, but survived despite a grisly injury.