Terrifying moment swimmer runs for his life as ‘two sharks’ seen right next to him

A man has made a speedy exit from the surf after onlookers screamed there were two sharks right next to him in the water.

This is the terrifying moment a swimmer flees for his life as two sharks snap at his heels.

The man was swimming in the water at ÅŒhope Beach, a popular spot in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty, when he heard an onlooker scream that there were sharks next to him.

Another family filmed the dramatic scenes as the sharks cruised along the beach.

In the footage two fins can be seen jutting out of the water as waves crash onto the beach.

Phil Squire with his 15-year-old daughter Eliza when beachgoers started to say they had seen two sharks out in the water, behind where the man was swimming.

Mr Squire told local media outlet Stuff that he thought the sharks may have been bronze whalers.

“There were quite a few people gathering around when they realised a shark was there,” he said.

“People were shouting, ‘Shark, shark!’ Two fins appeared near the man and he got a huge fright and took off.”

Onlookers believed the two fins they spotted in the water belonged to two sharks.

The incident occurred in January but rumours of shark sightings along the coast were keeping a lot of people out of the water, despite it being a hot day, Mr Squire said.

“Information does travel up and down the beach and I guess one of the clues that there might be a problem was that there were a lot of people out of the water.

“It was a very hot day and I guess it was unexpected to have sharks that close.”

One of Mr Squire’s daughters had been surfing at the west end of ÅŒhope Beach during their holiday, and had passed over some stingrays, he said.

“She was a bit nervous, she was definitely staying on her board with the possibility of sharks and stingrays around … but I think it added to the excitement.

“We did a lot of surfing around those beaching but weren’t dipping our toes in, in case they got nibbled.”

Despite being a keen surfer himself, Mr Squire said he’d never encountered sharks.

The man reportedly rushed out of the water after hearing onlookers scream there were sharks next to him.

He came forward with the video after reading news of recent shark sightings in Auckland.

Earlier this year, a shark attack at Waihī Beach, another popular beaching spot, took the life of a young woman.

Kaelah Marlow, 19, suffered bites to one of her legs when she was attacked while swimming in New Zealand. She was pulled alive from the sea but paramedics were unable to save her.

The man reportedly got a ‘huge fright’ after two fins appeared in the water near him.

“I’m a surfer and you realise these areas are the sharks’ natural habitats and people visiting rightfully need to be careful,” Mr Squire said.

He urged other surfers and swimmers to be “be sensible” and exercise good water safety.

“Watch out for each other in the water,” he said.

“If you see something, let other folks know and exit the water safely.

“It is better to err on the side of caution, keep an eye out to spot anything unusual.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished with permission