Jaw-dropping selfie: Photographer snaps pic with Great White shark

A Dutch photographer has taken a selfie with a Great White shark off the coast of Mexico. He managed to lean out of the protective cage to snap the photo just as the large shark was approaching.

The search to come up with an original selfie is getting harder and harder. However, Peter Verhoog has certainly met the challenge. The conservationist was diving off the coast of Guadeloupe in Mexico when he took the ultimate selfie with a Great White shark.

The 59-year-old has a keen interest in sharks and is a director of the Dutch Shark Society. However, he did not get the opportunity to see many of the fearsome creatures; due to the effects of El Niño warming the waters, he saw only four in three days.

Sharks are circling. More lovely underwater photography from Peter Verhoog. http://t.co/X2fyx8qvXzpic.twitter.com/5Y8cmF7CHP

— Tracey Rickard (@traceyrickard) August 15, 2013

The Dutchman started taking selfies in September and said: “I began making selfies with all kinds of sharks – mostly for fun."

However, the conservation enthusiast soon began to realize that his shark selfies could also have a positive effect, by teaching people that the creatures are not as dangerous as they are perceived.

The photo of the week by Peter Verhoog pic.twitter.com/vNo98XMt8S

— Desert Islands (@Docastaway) April 22, 2013

"Shark photography is great, and in the last two years I have made a selfie with several shark species. Some are considered ‘dangerous’, but a diver/photographer who behaves in a normal, relaxed way and does not harass sharks, has nothing to fear," Verhoog wrote on his website. "Sharks are not the maneaters people think they are – they are predators, whose prey is fish, sometimes seal," he added.

Peter Verhoog bereikte de top 12 van allerbeste selfies ooit (http://t.co/nt0z8tF9J7) @luuk@freekvonkpic.twitter.com/yYa0kjgCCt

— Dutch Shark Society (@Dutch_Shark) June 4, 2014