A scuba diver caught his near brush with death on film when a shark tried to attack him as he swam in a reef in the western Caribbean Sea.

Jason Dimitri was scuba diving near the Cayman Islands killing lionfish with a short spear when he noticed a Caribbean reef shark circling him. Dimitri, who says he was in about 70 feet of water, was able to fend the shark off with his spear.

Dimitri said on his YouTube page that he was culling the lionfish in an effort to protect the reef from the destruction they cause. The predatory breed has destroyed reef ecosystems from Florida to the Caribbean by eating all the native fish.

Despite the scary moment, Dimitri may yet face the shark down again: "The shark was acting in his natural environment. I have no ill will toward him and will get back in the water and continue to protect the reef for future generations."