A terrifying new drone video captured the kind of beach nightmare every parent fears: a massive great white shark cruising dangerously close to young swimmers off the Southern California coast.
The stunning footage, posted by shark videographer Carlos Gauna, better known online as The Malibu Artist, shows a 10-foot great white moving through the water as children swim nearby, apparently completely unaware of the apex predator gliding below the surface.
Gauna shared the heart-pounding clip on Instagram Monday, explaining that even he felt rattled by what he was seeing from his drone.
“I don’t often get nervous but this was one of those rare instances where I did,” he wrote. “The young swimmers had no idea.”
In the video, the children can be seen playing in the water and even waving up at the drone. What they did not appear to realize was that a large shark was swimming in the same area.
The shark did not attack, and thankfully, the encounter ended without anyone being harmed. Still, the footage quickly sparked a wave of alarm online, with some viewers questioning why Gauna did not alert the children or others nearby.
Gauna later explained that he was standing more than a mile away when his drone spotted the shark, making it impossible for him to simply shout a warning from the beach.
There was also the concern that a sudden warning could have made the situation worse. Panic, thrashing, and frantic splashing can draw more attention in the water, and startling swimmers who do not know where a shark is located could create even more danger.
The situation was made even more unsettling by the shark’s condition. Gauna said the great white appeared to have a serious injury, possibly from a boat propeller. He pointed to what looked like a gash across the shark’s back and dorsal fin.
“I watched it breach twice in one day,” he wrote, adding that he assumed the wound may have been irritating the animal. “And because of the injury I don’t know if it’s searching for easier prey or if it’s more alert.”
According to Gauna, he had already been monitoring this particular shark and noticed that it seemed to be getting close to people more often than usual.
That detail only added to the anxiety surrounding the clip. Great white sharks are not uncommon in Southern California waters, but seeing one pass so close to children is enough to make even seasoned beachgoers think twice before wading in.
Despite the chilling moment, the shark did not appear aggressive in the video. It swam near the children but never made a move toward them.
For many viewers, that was the only comforting part of the footage. The children had no idea how close they were to one of the ocean’s most powerful predators, and by the time the moment was over, they had escaped a close encounter they may never have known happened.
The video has since gone viral, with commenters split between awe, fear, and debate over what should be done when drones spot sharks near swimmers.
For Gauna, the moment was a rare one that left even him uneasy. For everyone watching at home, it was a chilling reminder that the ocean can look calm on the surface while something far more dangerous is moving just beneath it.
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That enormous creature threatens not only children, but everyone else as well – no?