A drone operator recently captured video of a young, fast-moving great white shark off the coast of Dana Point.
The speedy predator was spotted on May 21 and filmed by Matt Larmand.
“Something spooked him and got his attention… and he just took off at outrageous speed,” Larmand told KTLA.
Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab Director Chris Lowe said the drone itself likely frightened the shark, which he described as a juvenile, possibly a newborn.
“You can tell the shark saw the drone shadow, and that’s what spooked it,” Lowe said.
Such sightings are to be expected this time of year, which Lowe says is the middle of shark season for Southern California’s coastal waters.
“Shark season starts in April. It started in a bang,” he said. “This past week, we had probably a dozen shark sightings, from Santa Barbara all the way down to Coronado.”
The warmer waters are favored by the mothers for giving birth, and the juvenile sharks’ favorite food, stingrays, can be found in plentiful supply near the beach, Lowe explained.
But that’s no reason to stay out of the water, he said.
“All the data that we have suggests they really don’t care about people and as long as people leave them alone, they’ll leave people alone,” Lowe said.
