Dwarfing divers cowering in a cage, this is Deep Blue – the biggest great white shark caught on camera.
The footage shows the 20ft predator as she slowly approaches the cage to investigate the researchers inside.
The scientists tagged the enormous female, and shortly afterwards the pregnant 50-year-old led the divers to an elephant seal colony where she is thought to feed.
Videographer Mauricio Hoyos Padilla has now released the astonishing images he took near Guadalupe Island off Mexico from a separate cage just a few yards away. After checking out his colleagues, Big Blue came in for a close look at Mr Padilla, allowing him to see her huge teeth from just inches away.
The shark is recognisable by scars from fighting or mating, as well as her huge size.
Researchers also identified a gaping hole on her right side, and damage to her dorsal fin and tail. Padilla posted this video to his Facebook page, where it has amassed nearly 8million views.
Referring to the fact that the sharks are under threat from hunting and getting caught in nets, he wrote: ‘When I saw Deep Blue for the first time, there was just one thought in my mind – hope.’
The sharks usually grow to 15ft and 5,000lb. – Daily Mail