A lucky diver captured the incredibly rare moment a sea turtle avoided being attacked by a shark just metres in front of him.

Ryan Walton, from Florida, US, was looking for dolphins off the coast of Bimini, Bahamas, in August when he spotted a sea turtle off the bow of his boat.

Moments after jumping into the water, the turtle was forced to defend itself from an attack from an 8-foot-long tiger shark by turning in tight circles.

While Ryan was filming just a few feet away, the reptile first swam over the top of the shark before ducking underneath its second attempt, barely missing its jaws on the way through.

Ryan, who runs Shark Tours FL, said: “I was beyond excited. As a wildlife filmmaker, these are the moments I live for.

“I’ve seen both species many times in my six years of diving, but I have never witnessed a natural predation attempt of a tiger shark versus a sea turtle.

“We were out looking for dolphins to film when we encountered this predation.

“The tiger shark was approximately 8-feet-long and the turtle was about 5 feet long.

“We came across the scene while scouting for pods of dolphins to film and photograph.

“I saw the turtle near the bow of the boat, so we slowed down, which was when a crew member noticed the shark. I grabbed my gear to jump in and investigate.

“The juvenile shark appeared to have been working on trying to take down the turtle for quite some time.

“It couldn’t quite bite where it needed, and the turtle kept evading an attack to her fins.

“The tiger shark then got distracted, and briefly investigated me and my camera rig, allowing the turtle to escape. Eventually, they both disappeared.”

A lucky diver captured the incredibly rare moment a sea turtle avoided being attacked by a shark just metres in front of him.

Ryan Walton, from Florida, USA, was looking for dolphins off the coast of Bimini, Bahamas, in August when he spotted a sea turtle off the bow of his boat.

Moments after jumping into the water, the turtle was forced to defend itself from an attack from an eight-foot-long tiger shark by turning in tight circles.

While Ryan was filming just a few feet away, the reptile first swam over the top of the shark before ducking underneath its second attempt, barely missing its jaws on the way through.

Ryan, who runs Shark Tours FL, said: “I was beyond excited. As a wildlife filmmaker, these are the moments I live for.

“I’ve seen both species many times in my six years of diving, but I have never witnessed a natural predation attempt of a tiger shark versus a sea turtle.

“We were out looking for dolphins to film when we encountered this predation.

“The tiger shark was approximately eight-feet-long and the turtle was about five-feet-long.

“We came across the scene while scouting for pods of dolphins to film and photograph.

“I saw the turtle near the bow of the boat, so we slowed down, which was when a crew member noticed the shark. I grabbed my gear to jump in and investigate.

“The juvenile shark appeared to have been working on trying to take down the turtle for quite some time.

“It couldn’t quite bite where it needed, and the turtle kept evading an attack to her fins.

“The tiger shark then got distracted, briefly investigated me and my camera rig, allowing the turtle to escape. Eventually they both disappeared.”