Sharks swarm spearfishermen for their catch

Two seasoned spearfishermen found themselves in a sticky situation when over half a dozen sharks swarmed and stole their catch from right in front of them.

The footage shows the horde of sharks move in on the divers and leave them back to back with their spear guns poised.

'One of the blokes shot a butter fish, and that's when all the sharks moved in,' New Zealand fisherman Luke said.

The pair from Aquatic Rehab TV were hunting king fish in Little Barrier Reef, New Zealand and had noticed the sharks hovering, but it was not until they begun to spear fish that the creatures took notice.

After the first fish was caught, six large copper sharks moved in.

Luke managed to then catch a king fish, which dragged him around by the spear for 10 minutes.

'The sharks weren't touching the kingy (king fish) which was good, they were just sort of lurking,' he said in the short video.

The pair got the fish closer to the surface and the sharks swarmed.

'I went down to jab one and another flew right over my head,' Luke said.

'We were calling out for the boat, and yeah it was pretty intense.'

Once back on the boat, the pair are clearly shaken by the ordeal.

But this is not the first time he has found himself up close and personal with copper sharks.

In Luke's local dive spot, Tiritiri Island in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, a fearless shark 'cruised right over his head,' as he hunts for snapper.

The shark then comes back to have a look, before Luke taps the creature on the tail with his spear and it quickly swims away.

'Sharks are still out there in numbers,' he said.

Luke and his team spear fish in four locations within the Hauraki Gulf.

Leigh, Tiritiri Matangi Island, Little Barrier Island and Mokohinau Island are their dive spots of choice.

To attract snapper and king fish, they dive to bottom of the reef and break open sea anemones so their flesh entices the unsuspecting fish.

- Daily Mail