Moment woman narrowly escapes shark as it swims towards her with mouth wide open

A diver captured the incredible moment a shark swam towards her with its mouth open.

Andriana Fragola works as is a shark safety diver and marine biologist and regularly shares some of her incredible underwater experiences online.

A recent clip shared with her 25,000 followers on TikTok showed the "unpredictability" of sharks as one headed straight towards her with a gaping mouth as she dived off the coast of Hawaii.

Describing how the stunning creatures is her "favourite" tiger shark called Kalihi, Andriana said: "As she is coming up to me you can see how I dive down to meet her to have more leverage over her head and her jaw," she explains.

"Because I have seen her approach like this often, I already have the idea in my head that she is probably going to snap her mouth open, which she clearly does."

The huge shark swims towards Andriana's leg (andriana_marine / Instagram)

The shark approaches with its mouth gaping (andriana_marine / Instagram)

She comes face-to-face with the tiger shark and as the animal opens its mouth, her hands gravitate towards its opening.

Andriana adds: At this point, the reposition of how to control the situation and safely deter her away from me changes drastically.

"I am able to get above and below her jaw to close her mouth and then guide her in a direction away from me."

Tiger sharks are named for the dark, vertical stripes found mainly on juveniles.

They are common in tropical and sub-tropical waters throughout the world with large sharks growing to as much as 20 to 25 feet in length and weigh more than 1,900 pounds.

Tiger sharks are common in tropical and sub-tropical waters throughout the world with large sharks growing to as much as 20 to 25 feet in length (Getty Images)

Last month, it was reported killer sharks could be heading to British waters due to global warming, warns new research.

The study shows that the migration patterns of tiger sharks - second only to great whites in recorded fatal attacks on humans - are moving northwards as a result of climate change.

Researchers say the altered patterns have shifted the species' movements outside of protected areas, leaving the sharks more vulnerable to commercial fishing.

The study, led by scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, revealed that the locations and timing of tiger shark movement in the western North Atlantic Ocean have changed as a result of rising ocean temperatures.