Watch terrifying moment great white smashes through diver’s cage

Gripping footage captures the moment that a 4.8-metre great white shark managed to smash through a plastic diver’s protective cage, forcing the diver inside to scramble to safety.

In the clip, presenter and shark guide Jimi Partington can be seen inside a Perspex diver’s box as a shark circles him several times.

After a few curious bumps, the shark swims up quickly towards the diver, shattering the bottom of the cage with its jaws. The diver can be seen holding onto the cage as he struggles to stay afloat, before making a break and swimming back to a nearby boat.

The incident was captured by a drone and underwater camera, during filming for a Shark Week documentary called Great White Open Ocean, which has just been released.

Partington shared a snapshot of the footage on his Instagram page. Along with the video, Partington writes: “It’s been three years in the making and I can’t wait for you all to see my incredible journey, including the closest I’ve ever been to a great white shark!”

The film’s director and producer Jeff Kurr says: “Great White Open Ocean is a film that follows the story of a friend of mine, an expert shark diver named Jimi Partington. He actually survived being hit from below by a 16ft great white.

“We were able to capture this encounter on film, and it’s probably the most spectacular sequence in Shark Week history. It’s also miraculous because when Jimi was hit by the shark, he didn’t get a scratch on him. He actually had to swim for his life back to the boat, but he was fine.”

Encounters between humans and sharks, seals and whales have been on the increase in the US recently, with the animals in question said to be looking for food, not humans. In the past three weeks, six individuals reportedly suffered non-life-threatening injuries from shark bites near Long Island beaches.