These remarkable photos by Mauricio Handler show a diver in Mujeres, Mexico who was almost sucked into the mouth of a giant whale shark while photographing underwater marine life in July 2011. According to the Daily Mail, the diver escaped from the encounter without injury. Whale sharks are incredibly docile, who filter-feed, swimming with their wide mouths open, collecting plankton and small fish. They have mouths up to nearly 5 feet wide that contain up to 350 rows of teeth and despite their size, do not pose a risk to divers.

Mr Handler said: “The picture of the diver staring into the gaping jaws of the shark was an incredible adrenaline rush. I led an expedition of photographers and when you're down there with the fish it is like another world. On our last day I was taking a photograph of a whale and it ended up swimming at my photographer friend. They don't have very good eyesight but the diver managed to get out of the way. If he had have been sucked into the massive mouth the shark would have just spat him out. The sharks return here each year to feed on the tuna who spawn billions of eggs”. (Photos by Mauricio Handler/Daily Mail/Solent)