Sharks Draw Near Horde of Swimmers

(March 17) -- About 700 swimmers taking part in a race Sunday off Sydney, Australia, seemed oblivious that danger was lurking just a stone's throw away. A hammerhead shark was swimming near them, and another, smaller shark was in the water under them.

This video below, from ITN, captures the drama. The camera was able to pick up the hammerhead, but it wasn't able to get an image of the other interloper.

Most of the competitors appeared to be unaware of the sharks' presence. Race winner Chris Allan did see authorities put up a shark signal as he was swimming, but he seemed to take it in stride. "I figure [the sharks] had 700 of us to choose from and they couldn't decide, by the looks of things," he told ITV.com.

The gallery below includes three shots from the race. Keep clicking for photos from recent and notable shark attacks, including information on a spate of attacks earlier this year off Australia's coast.

Still haven't had your fill of shark news? You might want to take a look at a story we pulled together late last week about a controversy over a fisherman who killed a tiger shark after a two-hour struggle in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana.