A Western Australia scuba diver has survived a terrifying encounter with a great white shark, luckily escaping unharmed after the predator pinned him to the ocean floor.

Experienced scuba diver Tanveer Dhillon found himself just metres away from the giant shark on Sunday in waters off Ocean Reef in Perth’s north.

Footage showed a massive great white shark lurking near the boat with occupants heard saying “oh my god, it’s a big great white”.

Meanwhile, Dhillon is below the surface diving when he came face-to-face with the marine predator.

“I saw a big great white grinning straight at me,” he told 7NEWS.

“My heart was in my mouth and that memory is forever etched in my mind.”

He said the massive shark rammed him into a sand bank.

“My first instinct was, why is my dive buddy kicking me, honestly?” he said.

“So I turned around and when I saw that it was not a person, it was a shark, it was sheer panic, sheer fear.”

Dhillon wedged himself in a rocky ledge to hide from the shark while it circled him for 10 minutes as his oxygen tank depleted second by second.

“I did say a prayer and said, if I get out of this situation, I’m never going to put myself in this position again because you’re helpless,” Dhillon said.

“You’re completely helpless.”

With the shark out of sight, Dhillon spotted his dive mates and quickly swam to safety to their boat.

His frightening ordeal hasn’t stopped the avid diver from doing what he loves, but he admitted it will be some time before he gets back in the water.

“I do need more time to process, but if you know someone that’s looking for dive gear, let me know,” he said.