Breathtaking moment enormous great white shark leaps out of Pacific just off Monterey Bay

A California resident captured the breathtaking moment an enormous great white shark leaped out of the Pacific Ocean near Monterey Bay. 

Erin King, a California beachgoer, shared the moment a great white shark appeared to interrupt her scenic photo while she visited Marina State Beach on October 17.

'I'm an ocean girl and a beach girl. Grew up born and raised here. So, the beach is my home, and it just felt like a great day to come out and take advantage of some October sunshine,' King told KSBW. 

King told the outlet while she was on the beach she was approached by a young group of girls who needed help taking a photo. 

In return for the favor, they offered to take a similar photo of King with the ocean background before they spotted the shark breaching the water.

Video posted to social media showed King's surprised reaction with her mouth agape and her repeatedly pointing towards the ocean. 

'It happened so fast. I mean, it was just an instant. So, it just so happened that we got to see that, and I don't think anybody else really did,' King told KSBW.

California State Park officials have reported a shark breach was captured on their Surfline cameras at around 12.20pm. 

'Given where she was standing, and the timestamp on her video, which matched up perfectly with the timestamp on the surf line video, it's very likely to be the same shark,' Chief Ranger Mike Dippel, from California State Park, told the outlet. 

Dippel explained that the fall season has been a common time to see great whites along the Central Coast. 

'It is that time of the year. October, the fall months tend to be when white sharks do come back and migrate to the Central Coast,' Dippel told the outlet. 

According to the Department of Fish and Wildlife, shark sightings in California have surged since June.

Just days before King's social media video was posted, an 'aggressive' great white shark was spotted by a foil board surfer off the shore of Huntington Beach. Officials were prompted to close the waters for safety precautions on October 13. 

'Forecasted warmer waters shift the preferred range for juvenile white sharks northward from Mexico and lead them to stay in California nearshore areas later in the year,' the Department of Fish and Wildlife wrote in a news release.

Experts have anticipated 'a larger presence of white sharks in Southern California as a result of warmer El Niño ocean conditions.' This refers to a climate pattern with warmer water in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

Director Chris Lowe, from Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab, told the LA Times that juvenile white sharks enjoy spending their time in ocean temperatures that are around 67-to-72 degrees Fahrenheit.

Lowe told the outlet that even when beachgoers don't notice, 'sharks are around people all the time' in the ocean.

State Parks officials have issued a shark advisory for Marina State Beach in effect for the rest of the week. They have urged California residents to stay safe and alert while in the water. 

'Just make sure you're aware of that and using caution when surfing or swimming, recreating in the water around the Central Coast this time of year,' Dippel told KSBW. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to Erin King, California State Parks and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for comment.