Seal delivers mid-air slap to shark in dramatic beachside chase

Dramatic video showing the moment a seal escaped the jaws of a hungry great white shark by leaping from the water and hitting it with its tail has been released by conservation workers.

Video courtesy of Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries/Atlantic White Shark Conservancy

The shark was spotted hunting down the seal just 30ft from the shore at the popular seaside resort of Cape Cod, near Monomoy in Massachusetts, USA, on Monday.

As it closed in, the seal made a desperate leap clean out of the water - and managed to slap the marine predator with its tail as it followed.

Researchers with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy caught the unusual spectacle on video.

One member of the team said it was the first time they had seen a shark jump from the water in that region.

The shark managed to get its lunch eventually, they added, as it caught and ate another - not quite so feisty - seal before long.