THIS is the nerve-racking moment a huge 20ft shark emerges from the water before stalking a tiny boat – bringing to mind classic thriller Jaws.

Tense footage showed the humongous beast lurking behind the small vessel in a pond on Block Island as it came dangerously close to two passengers.

The video was captured in Rhode Island by local Jen Seebeck who was eating at the Dead Eye Dicks restaurant by Great Salt Pond when she spotted the enormous dorsal, The Atlantic Shark Institute reported.

The boat was seen slowly drifting towards the edge of the lake, while two dark shapes appeared to rise from the water.

The two fins could easily have been mistaken for two separate sharks, due to the distance between the pair.

But shockingly, they were actually part of the same beast – representing the top fin and tail of the 20ft predator.

The boat carrying two passengers then started to speed away, possibly following the crew’s sudden realisation.

The nailbiting scene has sparked comparisons to the classic film Jaws – which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

One person even referenced Steven Spielberg’s shark thriller in the video, as they shouted: “There’s a shark in the pond!”

It is currently unclear what exact species the nimble shark captured in the footage is.

The Atlantic Shark Institute said: “Sharks are arriving in Rhode Island daily as water temperatures continue to rise and more and more species of shark find them suitable to their liking.

“Hopefully this shark will find its way out of Great Salt Pond soon and continue on its way!” 

Block Island has recently been named one of the 10 best summer destinations in the United States, according to USA Today.

It comes after another enormous shark was spotted dangerously near a beach in a popular Spanish tourist spot.

A viral video showed the colossal beast skulking around the waters just off the coast of Marbella.

And earlier this month, the biggest shark ever tagged by researchers was spotted prowling up the US east coast.

Known as “The Contender”, the massive white shark was seen skulking around the North Carolina coast.

The behemoth was previously seen following the Gulf Stream south near Florida.

Weighing 1,600 pounds, the beast was first tagged on January 17 this year about 45 miles off the Florida-Georgia border.

It was the largest ever shark tagged by research group OCEARCH in the area.