Dozens of beachgoers had to run out of the sea in terror as a hammerhead shark battled with a manta ray.
The two sea creatures were spotted thrashing around in the water.
One onlooker filmed the scary moment on their mobile phone in a 30-second clip.
At one point, an instructor tries to scare the shark away on a jet ski – something the local authorities later criticised.
The encounter was filmed at Spratt Bight Beach in San Andrés, a small Colombian island in the Caribbean Sea, on Friday (5 Jan).
The shark then arrived just a few feet from the shore and started to attack the manta ray.
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Great hammerheads (are one of several shark species that prey on manta rays.
The Corporation for the Sustainable Development of the San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina Archipelago (Coralina) called on beachgoers to remain calm and cautious in such situations.
The organisation also criticised the tour operator who allegedly scared the shark away on a jet ski.
A spokesperson said: “It was a hammerhead shark hunting a ray, it is part of its diet.
“However, humans are not part of a shark’s diet, and even less so for this species.
“Sharks are fundamental to the food chain.”
Marine biologist Sandra Escobar agreed with Coralina’s position, adding: “The important thing is that these incidents do not motivate curious people to attack the sharks and make themselves the enemy.”
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