A South Australian diver has recounted a horrifying 15 minutes spent on the bottom of the ocean “eye-to-eye” with a great white shark circling within arms reach.

Sam Chapman and his diving companion Alex were diving for crayfish 11 kilometres off Cape Jaffa when they found themselves face-to-face with the three-metre predator, describing it as being so close that he could have reached out and touched it.

“I just saw this big black eye, and it slowed down as it came past us. I could have kicked out and grabbed its pectoral fin if I wanted to, it was that close,” Chapman recalled.

They managed to remain composed despite the danger, clinging low to the reef and refusing to avert their gaze from the shark. 

After an intense 15-minute standoff, Chapman guided Alex to swim for safety, holding onto each other’s shoulders and armed only with a knife.

“You’re in their backyard, and you have no control over what they do… It was pretty intimidating, to be honest,” Chapman admitted.

Remarkably, the pair emerged from the encounter unharmed and immediately alerted Shark Watch SA to warn others. 

While they regret not having a camera to capture the terrifying moment, Chapman remains undeterred and plans to resume diving, albeit closer to metropolitan beaches.

The incident follows a similar encounter in December when Chapman and other divers encountered a juvenile shark in the same area.