Watch: Swimmer Catches Shark With Bare Hands Off Delaware Coast

A swimmer caught a shark off Cape Henlopen State Park Beach in Delaware last weekend with his bare hands, and the onlookers recorded videos of his heroics on their cell phones.

The video depicts the unidentified swimmer seizing the shark, and briefly holding its mouth open for those at the beach to catch a glimpse before releasing it to the sea. Fox 5 learned that the swimmer had professional training and that he was trying to remove a hook from the shark’s jaw.

The state deems it illegal to fish for sharks, and even if they are caught, they are to be released immediately.

“Wow, that’s a big a-- shark!” a bystander was heard saying in the video which stops short of showing whether the fisherman returns to the shore or goes on to catch more sharks. It was also not clear what was the type of shark that he caught.

The man was seen in the video dragging the shark by its tail and grabbing on to it using both his arms. To the nearby watchers, the scene appeared as if straight out of a movie.

"Everyone started yelling, 'Shark, shark, get out of the water!'" bystander Rachael Foster told the USA Today. "It was so crazy, like a movie. Like Jaws."

Foster, who is a Delaware native, posted the video on Facebook, which has since gone viral with a combined 200,000 views on Facebook and Twitter, the publication reported. About 20 people were reportedly watching it all unfold.

Foster, however, told USA Today the man in the video wasn’t the one to catch the shark. He went into the water and opened its mouth after his friend caught it.

The men were reportedly assisted by Park rangers who were there on-site on Sunday (June 21).

“It was so cool,” Foster told USA Today. “And we come to the beaches a lot. Probably two to three times a week. But we’ve never experienced anything like that.”

Shark sightings are common in Cape Henlopen. Breeds like dogfish shark, popular sport fishing options mako and thresher, and several prohibited species including sandbar and sand tiger sharks are what people are likely to encounter.