Shocking footage shows the moment a professional mermaid got trapped inside a shopping mall tank while performing for shoppers.

Gabriela Green-Thompson often shares clips of her swimming round a tank in Cresta Shopping Centre in Randburg, Johannesburg, South Africa, while donning full mermaid get-up.

But her latest clip has gone viral, garnering 4.5 million views, with viewers horrified by the scary experience.

In the video, she can be seen swimming near the bottom of the tank and waving to the public.

But as she goes to swim to the top, her tail is stuck on a piece of fake coral.

As she starts to struggle for air, eventually Gabriela takes off her tail and ditches it to swim to the surface.

“My tail got stuck on a piece of coral, and I decided to self-save and tail-bail,” Gabriela, who has been a mermaid since 2022, told http://NeedToKnow.co.uk .

The terrifying near-miss left TikTok users horrified.

Mrs N added: “The panic I experienced! Glad you’re okay.”

Emi commented: “That must've been so scary!”

Rae said: “1.) You look gorgeous 2.) Fantastic tail bail, safety first.”

Someone else praised her: “I love how you quickly handled the situation.”

“So glad you’re safe!! You looked amazing!!” added Ali.

“I panicked watching you go thru that. I’m glad you’re ok,” said another follower.

“You are a great swimmer,” Shay wrote.

“I’m glad you are safe,” added Sylvia.

ENDS