A surf cam recently captured a dramatic encounter with a great white shark that startled a foilboarder at a well-known beach in Western Australia.

The incident occurred when Andy McDonald unexpectedly plunged into the ocean, struggling about 50 meters off Prevelly Beach, located south of Perth, at approximately 5:45 pm yesterday.

McDonald described the frightening moment when he fell onto the shark, with his leashes becoming entangled with the animal.

“I found myself punching and kicking in sheer panic,” McDonald recounted to 9News.

In a desperate bid for safety, he struck and shoved the shark before managing to break free and swiftly make his way back to shore.

“I didn’t even want to look up to see if there was a fin. I was thinking, I just hope this thing doesn’t come back,” he said.

The shark had taken a chomp out of the board, just centimetres away from his feet.

But luckily, McDonald was uninjured. 

He had been between the Boat Ramp and the Bombie surfing spots when the encounter took place.

A shark warning is now in place for the area, with people urged to take extra caution.

Officers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development are monitoring the situation.