When experienced diver Josh Eccles was enjoying the warm Atlantic Ocean, the Florida resident was taken aback by an unusual sight a few meters away. While he was no stranger to close encounters with sea creatures, there was something about this situation that was very concerning.

A large lemon shark was hovering near him, swimming dangerously close to the diver. Cameras captured the unexpected turn of events that followed.

Josh immediately realized that something was very wrong. The shark began aggressively bumping into him, trying to make a point that Josh just couldn’t understand.

This particular shark had a baby attached to her back as she swam along, obviously in distress. Josh couldn’t tell at first what was wrong.

It wasn’t until he took a closer look at the shark’s belly that the diver instantly realized what he needed to do. Taking a deep breath, Josh made a risky decision that was caught on tape – and what happened next was nothing short of incredible.

Hanging out of the shark’s belly was a huge hook! Josh quickly realized that the animal’s bizarre behavior was really just a cry for help.
This shark meant no harm. It simply needed help and thought that the human swimming around in its territory could help.

But lemon sharks are stocky, powerful sharks. They can grow up to 11 feet in length and although have not regularly been a threat to humans, they’re still an unpredictable animal.

Risking his own safety, Josh carefully swam closer to the shark’s belly and began his heart-pumping save. It’s incredible that Josh was brave enough to approach the shark in need of assistance and perform this crazy maneuver.

The lemon shark prefers to stay in subtropic shallow waters and will even swim upstream in rivers. Josh encountered this one while swimming off the coast of Florida.

But their story doesn’t end there, and what the shark did to say “thank you” to the diver has quickly gone viral. Sharks are frightening creatures, but this one showed that everyone needs a helping hand once in awhile.

See how this incredible rescue unfolds in the video below – what a stunning moment caught on camera!