Shark statue gives divers scare of their lives after lake exploration

If you fancy swimming with the sharks without the worry of them taking a chunk out of you, a dip in Switzerland's Lake Neuchâtel would be ideal.

Shark Week lover or not, lurking in the depths of the murky water is a terrifying spikey toothed statue that's been scaring divers half to death in the Swiss lake.

The monstrous model sports a truly chilling grin that flashes every inch of its huge jaws while its pectoral fins look as though they are in flight mode. So it's no wonder those poor divers have been startled.

The shark statue sits at the bottom of the lake in Romandy and appears to be floating thanks to its supporting structure.

It has been suggested that it was dumped there by a prankster keen to convince locals the film Jaws is actually real. Their stunt hasn't been doing a bad job at that either - as it's forced a host of divers to do a panicked double take.

Footage of a gang of underwater explorers coming across the petrifying prop has been doing the rounds on social media.

And people have been left in stitches by the creativeness of the alleged mischief maker. Then again, it would hardly have the same effect if you parked it at a bus stop, would it?

Sleuths on Reddit somehow managed to recognise the shark and said it was used as a prop in the film Choc au Lac!

It is featured in one of the scenes from the 1975 movie, which was created by a group of 176 kids from Neuchâtel.

The flick was of course about a giant shark that terrorised the town, but was unfortunately never finished.

But even the amateur detectives on Reddit can't work out how the shark statue made its way down to the bottom of the lake.

It is suspected that the 20ft long replica, made of fibreglass, was probably dumped in the lake as a prank.

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Other theories include that it was put there as an unofficial tourist attraction, or to create a hype for the unfinished film. To be fair, it has become a hotspot for divers who want to see how scary it actually is in the flesh since 2002.

Social media users haven't been as enthusiastic about taking a trip down to the depths, even if it is just a statue. One said: "Good thing the water is so murky so nobody can see me s**t my pants."

Another wrote: "Now imagine being the first dude that came across this."

A third added: "This picture makes me feel sick to my stomach, like, visceral fear inside me is telling me to run as far as I can."

Others were more intrigued by the elaborate plan behind abandoning the shark - nicknamed Bruce by locals - in the lake.

Someone said: "I can’t tell if I want to shake the hand of whoever made it or run away from them."

Another added: "What sick f**k thought this was a good idea?!"

At least you now know that thing whipping around your legs in Lake Neuchâtel is just a prop. Or is it?