Shark caught taking flight above Californian waves

Two Californian surfers have had their own 'Free Willy moment' after watching a shark make a splash by launching itself out of the water.

Drew Palumbo had his GoPro camera in his mouth when he inadvertently captured the unusual moment, which happened off Sunset Beach on Monday morning, CBS reports.

Great white sharks are often seen off Sunset Beach but seeing one leaping above the water is rare, lifeguards said.

Despite the thrill, Mr Palumbo said the occurrence was a little "aggressive" for his liking.

"Seeing them in this kind of manner … That was enough for us to say, 'Maybe we’ll go somewhere else for the rest of the day,'" he said.