A TEENAGER narrowly escaped the jaws of death when a monster 12ft great white shark “launched itself” through the air towards him.
Vaughan “Willow” Wilson, 52, was surfing with his friend and his pal’s 14-year-old son when the beast took them by surprise.
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The trio of experienced surfers were enjoying the waves off the coast of Matakana Island in New Zealand when the huge shark encircled them.
Willow explained: “We surf two or three times a week.
“We’ve surfed together in this spot a thousand times and never worried about great whites before.”
The creature was “out for a kill”, according to Willow, and began stalking the youngster as he surfed a wave.
He told local news outlet Stuff: “It was ferocious, jaws wide open, definitely in hunting mode. It was a 3.5m monster, out for a kill.
“It launched itself out of the water until its whole body was fully airborne, about half a metre above the ocean, like it was flying.
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“I screamed ‘shark, shark’, at the top of my lungs but the waves were so high and there was so much white water around, no one could hear me even though I’m known for being pretty bloody loud.
“It was both frightening and stunning – flying through the air bathed in sunlight.
“I knew it was a great white straight away from its white belly and the huge size and shape of its pectoral fins and tail. I know sharks well.”
After desperately trying to alert the 14-year-old to the predator lurking beneath the surface to no avail, Willow was forced to watch helplessly as the teen came within inches of death.
He explained: “It was like it was stalking its prey, following him.
“It sped ahead of him and did a u-turn in the hole – the deeper part of the channel which makes for good waves – and it was then it exploded out of the hole to try to nail the boy.
“But it had miscalculated because just before the boy came off his board he had done a sharp turn.
“That decision to turn saved his life because it meant the shark’s jaws missed him.”
NEAR MISS
Despite soaring through the air to try and secure its prey, the great white missed its teenage target.
Willow continued: “It splashed back in the water near his right shoulder, missing him.
“He was off his board, waist-deep in water and completely unaware. The shark disappeared back under the water and I couldn’t see where it was – I was scared.”
The 52-year-old praised his friend’s son’s “calm” reaction, saying he simply pulled himself back onto his board and paddled back to shore.
“When I told them how close he came to the shark taking his arm, or his life, my friend, like me, was shocked,” Willow added.
“It was scary. I had the shakes. But the boy was cool – all he kept saying was ‘oh wow’.”
Since the mid-1800s, there have been just 12 fatal shark attacks in New Zealand.
Great whites are known to grace the waters around the island country all year round.
Kaelah Marlow, 19, was mauled to death by one of the beasts while swimming in New Zealand back in January last year.
