Divers come face-to-face with great white shark at Cape Jaffa

A pair of divers are lucky to be alive after coming face-to-face with a great white shark off the South Australian coast.

Two divers have had a terrifyingly close call with a great white shark in the waters off Cape Jaffa in SA’s South-East, 9 News Adelaide reports

Sam Chapman and his friend Alex were out diving for crayfish when they came face-to-face with the three metre shark around 10km from the coast.

Turning from hunter to hunted in a matter of seconds, the pair had to lay dormant in the area for 15 minutes as the shark eyed them before making a quick escape.

The pair were diving of SA’s south east coast. Picture: 9News

Sam Chapman and his diving companion Alex were diving for crayfish 11 kilometres off Cape Jaffa when they found themselves face-to-face with the three-metre predator. Picture: 9News

Counting their lucky stars, the pair told 9News they regretted not taking their camera equipment with them to capture the close encounter.

Known for its crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches, Cape Jaffa is a haven for fishos and sharks alike.

In October 2023, Isabella Sesto was left stunned after a great white shark mauled her first ever tuna catch.

Mrs Sesto, who was on the boat with her husband and friends about 30km from Cape Jaffa, captured the moment the hungry shark attacked her catch as it was being pulled onto her boat after a 1.5 hour battle.

Izzy Sesto caught her first Tuna of the coast of Cape Jaffa only to have a great white shark take half of it. Picture: @isabella.sesto/ Instagram

The great white shark also tried to take a bite out of the boat’s motor. Picture: @isabella.sesto/ Instagram

The Melbourne resident, who is an experienced sailor and sponsored angler, posted the video on social media which shows the shark not only chomp the tuna but also try to bite the boat’s motor.

The group then pulled the fish onto the boat with the shark still attacking it, resulting in huge tears across its tail end.

Luckily, the shark bite bled the fish for them and the meat from the tuna was “immaculate,” she said.

“The top half we cut up and actually had fresh sashimi, and the bottom half we made into tuna steaks,” she said.

The most recent sighting comes after multiple shark sightings across the state’s coastline this summer.

Originally published as Divers come face-to-face with great white shark at Cape Jaffa