Beachgoers helped a great white shark that got stranded on a beach stay alive until rescuers arrived to help it back into the water.

Witnesses say the 7ft (two metre) male got stuck on Monday near South Beach on Massachusetts' Cape Cod peninsula as the tide went out.

People on the beach helped keep the shark wet by splashing it with buckets of water until rescuers attached a line to its rear caudal fin.

The shark, which was tagged by a state shark scientist, was then pulled back into open waters in an operation that lasted around an hour.

Harbourmaster Stuart Smith said around 40 people were crowded around the shark when he arrived and it appeared dead.

Isabelle Hegland was at the scene of the rescue: