Great white shark lunges at a US veteran who reached off a boat to pet it 'like the family dog'

Veteran Jen was petting a hooked great white shark off Tybee Island, Georgia, during a tagging mission when the animal whipped around and slammed its jaws into the side of the boat. The footage, shared by non-profit Knot Lucky Fishing on Facebook, has gone viral, with millions watching the shark's powerful lunge narrowly miss her outstretched hand. Founder Jimmy Armel, a former Ranger, said the crew had the shark under control throughout and Jen was never in real danger.

Knot Lucky Fishing runs free trips for veterans, active-duty service members and their families, catching and releasing great whites to track migration data.

The organisation names each tagged shark after a fallen Ranger or service member — though this particular shark could not be safely tagged and was released.

'One second she's laying her hand on a wild white shark like it's the family dog, and the next that shark whips around and lunges,' the crew wrote on Facebook.