This young bait handler at a cage diving company in South Africa found himself in a tug-of-war with the mightiest of opponents – a great white shark.

Footage filmed on October 19 off the coast of the Western Cape shows a bait handler trying to lure in the mighty predator.

The filmer, Natalie Poljacik, writes: "The bait thrown acts as a lure for the sharks so clients can see them from the cage. Bait handlers have rules to try their best to not allow the shark to bump the cage or get the bait."

But the handler is clearly not quick enough and ends up locked in a tug-of-war with the beast.

Poljacik adds: "White sharks are undeniably fast and ambush predators so in some cases they get the bait before the bait handler has a chance to move it out of the way, which is what we see here.

"Even so, the bait handler is full of energy after having lost this match to the shear power of a great white."

Sometimes sharks are too quick for a bait handler. This Great White earned his meal after a thrashing game of tug of war with the bait handler. Even so, the bait handler is full of energy after having lost this match to the shear power of a Great White.