Shark spotted metres from the shore of Melbourne beach shocking locals

A shark has been spotted in shallow waters only metres from the shore of a Melbourne beach, with the man who captured the unusual sight thankful he wasn't swimming at the time.

The sighting stunned beachgoers, including local resident Anthony Scarff who saw a fin bobbing on the surface of the water at Hampton beach.

"I've never seen anything that close before," he said.

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"Normally when we've seen sharks, it's way out in the bay."

Mr Scarff said he wanted to get closer to inspect the surprise visitor.

"We were just real interested to see how big it was and whether it was injured, whether it was a baby and where it was going," he said.

"And small sharks ... potentially there's a bigger one somewhere else."

The shark is a gummy and believed to be about a metre long.

Paul Hale from Sealife Aquarium said it was probably so close to shore searching for food.

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"Sharks that close in may be looking for food, squid or shrimps in the sand," he said.

As an avid fisherman Mr Scarff is familiar with spotting marine life in the water, but this time he was happy to be safely on the sand.

"If I was swimming it would have been a different story," he said.

Regardless of how small the shark might be, marine experts say anyone who comes across one should always act with caution.

"Any wild animal should be treated with courtesy and respect and definitely give it some space, but its no threat to people just enjoy the experience - you're very very lucky," Mr Hale said.

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Earlier today Mr Scarff told 3AW he initially thought the fin could have been a stingray but was shocked to find it was a shark.

"I saw a fin. I'm a keen fisherman anyway and when you see a fin it's always good to check it out," he said.

"It was surprising how shallow it was. I thought maybe it was a stingray. But when we got closer it was definitely a shark."

The local captured the sighting on video, with one fisherman who rushed over suggesting it could have been a baby mako shark.

The shark was up to 1.5 metres in length and may have been spotted previously, with another local claiming to have seen the shark last week.

"It's not something you see there regularly. It certainly would have taken a few toes off," Mr Scarff said.

"It wasn't heading off anytime soon."