A great white shark was filmed launching out of the water just yards behind a boogie boarder at Newport Beach, Southern California. The family recording the scene did not realize what they had captured until they reviewed the footage hours later.

Soaren Stevenson, a California-based college ministry leader who filmed the video, told Fox News Digital that he and his family were praying on the beach, hoping "a miracle happens," before the unexpected encounter unfolded. As they replayed the footage, Stevenson said he wasn't sure what he was seeing, noting, "I was like, 'That's not even a dolphin — that's a shark.'" He added that no one else on the beach appeared to notice the shark.

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, fewer than 250 documented shark incidents involving all shark species have occurred in the state since 1950.

Separately, Volusia County Beach Safety officials reported a man was bitten on the left foot and ankle by a shark estimated to be about 4 feet long while wading in waist-deep water near the Dunlawton Beach Approach in Daytona Beach Shores, Florida.

The encounter left Stevenson with a new appreciation for the animals that share the ocean with surfers and swimmers.

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