Aerial drone footage of a great white shark swimming near the ocean surface.
A massive predator recently came within striking distance of oblivious young swimmers off the Southern California coastline.
Drone footage posted to social media on Monday captured a great white shark gliding dangerously close to a group of children.
Filmed From a Mile Away
Photographer Carlos Gauna recorded the chilling encounter using his drone while standing more than a mile down the shore.
The children splashing in the surf had no idea a massive shark was sharing their water.
“This shark was a lot bigger than those kids,” Gauna told “Good Morning America.”
Gauna, who shared the video on his Instagram account @themalibuartist, admitted the scene rattled his usual professional composure.
“I don’t often get nervous but this was one of those rare instances where I did,” Gauna wrote. He declined to disclose the exact location or date the footage was recorded.
An Injured and Alert Predator
A great white shark navigating the waters near the coastline.
The shark in the video sports a visible scar near its dorsal fin, which Gauna identified as a likely boat propeller wound.
He suspects this specific injury is what is keeping the animal lingering in the immediate shoreline area.
“I watched it breach twice in one day,” Gauna noted online.
The photographer theorized that the shark’s compromised state might make it more alert or force it to hunt for slower, easier prey.
“Either way, this shark does approach humans at a higher frequency,” Gauna said. “At least by my observations.”
