Great white shark leaps out of the sea to photobomb friends' beach snaps in California

You line up the shot. Everyone’s smiling. The light is perfect. And then a great white shark launches itself out of the Pacific behind you.

That, more or less, is what happened to a group of friends posing for photos at Marina State Beach in California over the weekend. Videos circulating online show the shark breaching several feet clear of the water in the background – surely the most committed photobomb of the year.

California State Parks told the Guardian it had independently confirmed that a shark matching the characteristics of a great white breached off the shore near the beach at the same time as the footage. Shark notices went up, and officials were keen to stress that sharks are an important part of the coastal ecosystem and that run-ins with people are rare.

Great whites visit Monterey Bay seasonally, heading out towards waters near Hawaii before returning to California’s coast in late summer and early autumn to feed on fish, seals and other marine mammals. Sightings along parts of the west coast have increased in recent years as ocean conditions change.

For all the Jaws-fuelled reputation, the species is classed as vulnerable, with populations having fallen by more than 90% in some regions during the 20th century.

So: a rare sight, a vulnerable animal and a genuinely spectacular photo. Just not one you’d want to be standing any closer to.