The images from July 18 show the jaw-dropping moment Mr Yelland came face to face with the blue shark, which can grow up to 13ft, as it swam straight towards him.
Martin Yelland, 38, encountered the beast just off the coast of Penzance, and managed to take several up close and personal images as the shark stuck around in the waters among divers for around an hour.
Mr Yelland’s photographs usually focus on local wildlife like kingfishers, choughs, badgers, foxes and deers, but he capitalised on the opportunity to take photographs of the open-ocean predator that is recognisable from its long, cone-shaped snout.
Mr Yelland, who lives in St Erth, Cornwall, described the moment as “really memorable”.
He said: “I was apprehensive the evening before the shark snorkel, but once I saw the shark I was just amped to get in the water as they were so graceful and inquisitive.”
While blue sharks are found worldwide, they rarely come near shore. The blue shark is not a solitary animal and instead they form groups based on their gender and their size.
They are also known to migrate thousands of miles for food and for mating.
The shark was scared off by a pod of 80 dolphins, but Mr Yelland felt no fear around them.
He said: “At no stage did I feel frightened, the sharks were curious but in no way aggressive.
“It was such a buzz, and to see the super pod of dolphins was insane too.”
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Of the over 400 shark species found worldwide, at least 21 can be found in British waters all year round.
Recently a shark was spotted just metres away from the shoreline at Caister-on-Sea in Norfolk. The shark was spotted by Kerry Hester, 47, who is currently on holiday in the area with her two daughters.
Also recently, a beach in Dorset was evacuated after an unknown species of shark was spotted.
Swimmers were told to get out of the water and return to dry land immediately with red flags being put up by RNLI lifeguards, indicating a serious hazard in the water for swimmers.
The beach fully reopened on the same day, after lifeguards conducted checks.
More than 40 species of shark occupy British waters and in spite of the sightings there have been no recorded unprovoked shark attacks on humans, in UK waters, since records began in 1847.
