Shark-cage diver 'reborn' after close encounter with great white

Chan Ming says he was silently urging the shark: "Hey, don't think about coming in here" when it barreled into his cage

A man who survived a face to face encounter with a great white shark says he feels "reborn" after the terrifying incident.

Chan Ming said he still loves the "beautiful and cute" predators and revealed he went back into the ocean the next day.

The 51-year-old was on a shark-watching holiday in Mexico earlier this month when the great white broke into the cage he was diving in. 

He emerged unhurt after the shark thrashed around and managed to escape.

The shark enthusiast said he had tried to remain calm "because if I get panicked it will be very horrible in there".

He said: "When the great white shark was breaking into the cage, the inside of its mouth was getting jammed in the cage, and at that moment I was thinking, 'hey, don't think about coming in here'."

Despite his close encounter, Chan Ming added: "I still think the shark, the great white, is so beautiful, they're very beautiful and cute." 

Mr Chan, who is from Hong Kong but now lives in Shanghai, said he was back in the sea the day after his brush with the predator: "You know in Chinese we say that 'Where you fell down, (is) where you need to stand up'."  

He also posted some video taken moments before the shark breached the cage.  

The great white ended up in the protective cage after it broke a metal rail while going after some bait.

It was then unable to swim backwards, eventually emerging from the top of the cage after a crew member lifted the lid.

Mr Chan also said on Facebook that he felt "reborn" and had been enjoying Cantonese noodle soup and beer. 

The company Mr Chan was travelling with, Solmar V Luxury Live-Aboard, said on Facebook that it had reinforced its cages after the incident.

Bait will also be thrown further away in future. 

"Shark breaches of this magnitude are a one in a million occurrence," the company said.

"As unfortunate as it was, it was still an accident." 

The shark appeared to be bleeding as it emerged from the top of the cage, but the company said it did not suffer any serious injuries.