Like a rabbit in headlights, this brave scuba diver faces off against one of the most feared and endangered predators of the deep.

For full story and pictures:With its notably long pectoral fins enabling it to glide like a bird through the water, this 10 foot long, 350-pound female Oceanic White Tip shark was photographed by Brian Skerry off the Out Islands of the Bahamas.

Swimming inches past Brian’s long time collaborator Wes Pratt, the large shark observed Brian for two hours during which he stayed outside of the protective shield of a shark cage.

“My heart was definitely in my mouth when I jumped in and the nerves were going when I saw the shark heading towards Wes,” said Brian.

“It I wasn’t slightly scared then I wouldn’t be in the water, because that would be foolish.”

Eventually leaving the shark after two hours, Brian found the experience one to savour.

“She was definitely firm but polite and showed no outward signs of aggression,” said Brian.

“I first saw it in the sea while on the boat and without wasting any time me and Wes dived straight in and started to photograph the shark.

“It was in the late afternoon and as soon as I was in the water the shark came over to investigate me.

“I had to push her away with the lens of my camera and eventually she settled into a circling pattern I suppose trying to work out what we were doing.”

Eventually lowering a cage into the water, Brian opted to stay out so as to observe Wes’ human interaction with the large shark.

Patiently waiting for days to find one specimen, Brian counted himself lucky, as recent surveys have estimated that the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean population of the white tip to have fallen 98 percent since the 1950’s.

“The Oceanic White Tip is considered one of the most dangerous sharks in the sea along with the Great White and Tiger,” said Brian, 48 who has been an underwater photographer for 30 years.

“It is responsible for some of the most famous episodes of man-eating in history, such as when the USS Indianapolis sank in 1945.

“Around 800 sailors escaped into the water when it was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine, but only 321 were pulled from the sea alive.