Seal's airborne escape from great white shark caught on camera

BOSTON, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Shark researchers taking footage off the coast of Massachusetts captured the moment a life-loving seal slapped a pursuing great white shark in midair.

Researchers with the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy said they were out Monday in waters off Cape Cod for a twice weekly great white shark survey when researcher Greg Skomal captured the footage.

The video, posted to YouTube, shows the seal leap out of the water with the great white shark following close behind. The seal swings its tail in midair and slaps the great white in the face.

"White Shark 0, Seal 1," Skomal scored the video.

"The escape was incredible to witness. We've seen three predations over the last two years, and this was a first -- to watch a white shark leap from the water in an attempt to grab a grey seal. The seal won that battle but shortly after the same shark successfully consumed a different seal further offshore," conservancy President Cynthia Wigren said in a statement provided to the Boston Globe.