Whitetip Shark Bites Red Sea Diver's Leg In Shocking Video

A German diver was attacked by a shark in the Red Sea, off the coast of the Brother Islands, Egypt, when he was swimming underwater with a tour group.

A video of the horrific incident was recorded by a member of the tour group, Dan White, 28, from Farnham, Surrey, England, who was on a vacation with his girlfriend, Shaunie Thomas, 23.

The clip showed an oceanic whitetip shark approaching the group of divers and suddenly biting into the leg of one of them. The shark clamped down on the diver’s limb, refusing to let go. The diver could be heard screaming in pain as he unsuccessfully tried to escape the aquatic beast’s jaws.

Another diver tried to wrestle the shark off the unidentified man’s leg. When it finally let go of the diver and swam away, a plume of blood could be seen floating from the area the diver was bitten.

The injured diver, who was touring with the group Divercrew, was rushed to hospital in the group’s boat. The condition of the man was not known. Another tour group, called Zodiac Divers, helped the other divers safely get out of the water.

The attack took place sometime in November.

"Some people don’t believe it’s real - and most tell me I’m crazy for getting in the water in the first place,” White said of the incident, Mirror Online reported. “I’ve heard of shark attacks on the news and in magazines, but I’ve never heard of anything like this happening near me let alone witnessed it before. I’ve learnt that sharks aren’t to be taken lightly - they’re unpredictable and as we are in their home they always have the upper hand. Everyone needs to stay vigilant whilst diving with them."

White said he told the German diver that he had a video of the attack. He added that he believed the shark attacked the particular diver because it might have been spooked by the water bubbles in the area.

"I’ve already had people tell me the shark needs to be removed from the water, but they fail to understand we went into its home, not the other way around," White said. This isn’t a jaws story, it’s a simple case of wrong place, wrong time.”

Kevin McMurray, a shark attack researcher and owner of Tracking Sharks, a shark information website, provided a different explanation for the incident.

“Oceanic white tips are deep ocean sharks that are known to cruise toward the shallows near deep water drop offs. The shark in Mr. White's footage appeared to behave in an anxious manner and displayed signs of agitation. It also appeared to be sizing up the diver in the shorty as it drew near, as if it would bump him, probing,” he said, Mail Online reported

He added: “However, the diver kicked away in a horizontal pattern, which might have mimicked prey, and excited the shark. The large number of divers surrounding the shark could have contributed to the incident, as well as their positions in the water. Divers who encounter sharks are advised to stay vertical, and form a group with other divers. More importantly, they should watch the closest shark and be ready to safely push it away should it come too close.”

Following the incident, it was announced that the waters off Brothers Island will be closed for diving activities for the rest of the year. Four divers have been bitten in the waters off Brothers Island since June.

The story has been updated to correct Kevin McMurray's quote about his advice to divers.