A man who lost his leg to a shark has shared incredible close-up footage of himself surrounded by the predators.
Mike Coots is a shark conservationist and photographer who often shares photos and videos to Instagram, (@mikecoots ), where he has over 337,000 followers.
When he was just 18 years old, he was attacked a tiger shark while surfing, who bit his foot clean off, but managed to get away by punching the fish in the nose and swimming back to shore.
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Now 44, despite the attack, he has dedicated his life to the study of sharks.
One of his latest videos has over 21.6m views.
“Years after the attack I learned the importance of sharks in our ocean and the role they play in keeping the seas healthy,” Mike from Kauai, Hawaii, USA, told What’s The Jam.
“The more I learned, the more I felt compelled to help given my unique situation.
“I am a photographer and after my first dive trip with sharks fell in love with photographing them and its my profession now.
“Even after the accident, I spent a week in the hospital and was back in the ocean a month later.
“I was indifferent about sharks and loved the ocean, just thought I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“As I learned more about sharks it began my interest and love for them grew and grew.
“I have no anger or fear towards them, just a healthy respect.”
One video shows a terrifying close-up of a shark where you can see the inside of its mouth – with its sharp teeth poking out.
In another clip, Mike can be seen treading water above several sharks swimming below.
He has a fin on his left leg, while on the right, viewers can spot his prosthetic.
“POV: You still love sharks after your leg is bitten off by one,” he captioned the clip.
A third clip shows the magnificent “Big Girl” grabbing herself a snack during a swim.
Social media users have been left mesmerised with some shocked that Mike dares to be so near the creatures after he lost his leg to one.
Bob said: “And after losing your leg you dedicate your life to protecting them!”
Marco added: “Dude you are the living proof of what resilient means.
Gerado commented: “Love is blind, but sharks aren’t.”
Someone else wrote: “Love is blind.”
Another fan added: “You’re very brave.”
“This is epic! Great shot!,” said someone else.
“Omg that’s so insane!,” added someone else.
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