Knee-knocking moment paddleboarder watches ‘4ft’ shark swim under his board as another circles nearby off Dorset coast

: "That morning the water was really, really glassy so you could see everything rippling across the water.

"We just saw a couple of fins 50 yards ahead of us moving quite slowly. It was only because it was so glassy we could see them cutting across.

"It was quite exhilarating to see nature, and to see the move in that shark was fantastic as it went right under the board."

Anthony, a company director from Christchurch, added that they were "beautiful and not in the least bit scary".

His encounter on July 16 came as a string of shark sightings spread fear among holidaymakers.

'LUCKY TO BE ALIVE'

The RNLI received reports of a "large marine animal" making "significant movement" at Bournemouth's Boscombe Beach on August 4.

In scenes straight out of the film Jaws, a tannoy announcement told bathers to get out of the water.

The beach, busy with families enjoying their summer holidays, was closed for almost an hour while lifeguards searched the sea on jet-skis looking for the ominous sign of a protruding dorsal fin.

A day later, a dad claimed his son is "lucky to be alive" after a "shark brushed past his leg" in a terrifying sea encounter in Bournemouth.

Alan Hayward, 48, was watching his kids, Henry, 11, and Mollie, eight, playing in the sea when they started running towards him, jokingly shouting "run for your life".

Alan has since realised his family snap shows a 'fin' lurking in the waves. 

A fisherman also claimed to have had a shock shark encounter in Bournemouth, grappling with the "biggest monster he had seen in 13 years".

Darron Tapper, 54, said the shark pulled his fishing rod out of his hands and almost dragged him in with it when it went for his lure.

Further along the coast in Cornwall, wildlife photographer Martin Yelland came face-to-face with a huge shark while snorkelling.

He captured the moment the blue beast, which can measure up to 13ft, swam just inches away from him off the coast in Penzance.

Martin, a postman from St Erth, told the Sun Online: "It was an adrenaline rush."