Photographer Shares His Best Shark Drone Clips of 2023
A photographer and filmmaker has shared his favorite shark clips of the year taken on a drone off the coast of California.
Carlos Gauna who operates the YouTube channel The Malibu Artist puts together a yearly roundup of his best shark footage which is well worth checking out as he frequently captures incredible moments in the ocean.
In the above video, Gauna explains how, despite bad weather affecting much of the year, he was still able to track the great whites thanks to the huge vortex trails they leave behind in the water.
“Sharks live close to us,” says Gauna in the video. “That much is certain. And even though we don’t always know they are there…it’s the moments when sharks are actually spotted by people that are the most telling.”
Gauna then shares an amazing video clip, filmed in October, showing a fisherman swimming next to his boat as a large shark approaches him. Gauna used his drone to warn the fisherman of the approaching predator; the fisherman thanked the drone for the alert.
However, Gauna suggests that sharks are more uncomfortable around humans than we are around them. He says great whites are not “inherently aggressive” but warns that people still need to be cautious while in the water.
“They are wild animals, they can be unpredictable and while they avoid us a vast majority of the time, it is best practice to leave these apex predators of the sea alone,” adds Gauna.
The Power of Drone Photography
Gauna believes that the drone’s unique perspective allows us to see aspects of shark behavior that were previously concealed.
In October, PetaPixel reported on his demonstration of great white sharks chasing his drone’s shadow much the same way a cat will chase a laser pointer.
“It’s from above that you see behaviors that are uniquely strange. Behavior that until we had these views, we rarely if ever saw,” he says.
“Things we certainly wouldn’t see if a human was swimming next to it or trying to touch it.”
In July, Gauna filmed a pregnant shark disappearing into the depths of an ocean and a baby shark appearing in its stead. He believes that nobody has witnessed that previously.
“A newborn white shark and quite possibly the smallest shark ever recorded alive,” adds GuanGaunaa.
Image credits:Carlos Gauna/The Malibu Artist
