The massive great white can be seen gliding towards them under the water

It comes within metres of the unsuspecting surfers

The predator gets breathtakingly close to the three athletes who were taking part in a competition

Professional surfer Nathan Florence shared a video of the encounter – showing just how close the man-killer was to his fellow competitors.

The drone footage shows the eerie moment the shark swims casually through a trio of the Corona Open J-Bay athletes.

The great white can be seen swimming along the coast and stalking its way towards them.

As it approaches them, a wave breaks over the killing machine – and one man surfs almost directly above the shark, apparently unaware of what is lurking below.

The shark then moves towards the remaining surfers – and for a few tense seconds seems to tail one man as he tries to paddle away on his board.

But he clearly decides the man is not on the lunch menu – because the beast then moves away, mercifully leaving the relieved surfers alone.

Florence said some younger surfers first spotted the massive shark – before someone launched a drone to get a closer look.

He said they tried to alert Rio Waida – one of the surfers in the water – using the drone as it was making a beeline right for his board.

Florence said: “What a crazy thing to watch we know we playing in their home but to see how easily and mellow they approach undetected is wild!”

Jeffrey’s Bay, known for its legendary surf, is notorious for shark sightings and attacks.

As recently as May, a surfer suffered a shark bite on his leg.

The killer creature’s shock appearance at the Corona Open J-Bay comes after the competition’s infamous 2015 shark encounter.

The terrifying scene, caught on television, saw Aussie Mick Fanning encounter a great white two minutes into his heat – before punching the man-eater and fleeing for the shore.

The three-time World Champion, then 39, later told reporters: “I’m just lucky it wasn’t my time.”

But others aren’t so fortunate – with 37 people in the last 25 years killed by sharks off the coast of South Africa.

The latest great white killing was pizza shop owner and mum Kimon Bisogno, 39, at Plettenberg Bay in September – while on a weekend getaway with her partner and five-year-old daughter.

The latest close encounter was shared to Facebook by professional US surfer Nathan Florence, 29.

Nathan said: “We saw some guys come in fast and I asked them what the deal was and they said they had seen a huge white shark.

“It was close enough they could see its eyes, so we put the drone up fast to see if it was there – and sure enough it was swimming towards the world tour surfers.

“We alerted people on the beach who then alerted the surfers and they all came in.

“The shark cruised on his way up the coast and everyone got on with their day.”

He added: “What a crazy chance to see a shark like that! South Africa is incredible!”

Great Whites can grow up to 20 feet long and have up to 300 razor sharp teeth contained within their giant jaws.

They can swim up to 35mph and normally feast on seals, sea lions and dolphins – but can mistake humans in wetsuits for their usual meal.

The creatures are especially active at this time of the year, with an influx of sardine to eat.

The sighting comes after a 48-year-old man was savaged at one of the most dangerous beaches in America.

He is the third person to be attacked by a shark this year on Florida’s Volusia County beaches, local outlet News-Journal reported.

Meanwhile, experts in the world’s so-called “shark highway” have attempted to explain a freak rise in maulings – after multiple attacks around the French island of La Réunion.

The chilling moment was caught on a drone

Great Whites can grow up to 20ft long and have up to 300 razor sharp teeth

The Great White was seen swimming along the coast and stalking its way towards the athletes