Great white shark breaches and photobombs surfer

A photographer has captured the moment a great white shark leaped out of the water - right behind an unwitting surfer.

Tom Kampas filmed the footage at El Porto Beach in California on 21 December.

The Inquisitr reports that Kampas did not even notice the great white until he got home and watched the footage.

Video shows apparent great white shark just feet from surfers at El Porto Beach. http://t.co/0FN6TWyMOm pic.twitter.com/22E7aHX2b9
- KTLA (@KTLA) December 30, 2014

According to the Daily Mail, Kampas said: "All of a sudden that great white came up from out of the water behind the surfer like a Polaris missile.

"It all happened so quickly and I don't think that guy was even aware of it."

Kampas had it confirmed by the Shark Research Institute that the animal was indeed a great white shark, albeit a juvenile one.

El Porto Beach is a California beach located on Santa Monica Bay beside El Porto, which is now part of the City of Manhattan Beach, between the beaches of Dockweiler and Manhattan Beach.

El Porto is one of the most popular beaches in the South Bay area with surfers from near and far because of an underwater canyon that creates waves usually larger than those at neighbouring beaches.

According to KTLA, Kampas added that there has been several great white shark sightings at South Bay beaches over recent weeks.