Stunning drone footage shows a great white shark swimming at top speed towards a California beach.
Photographer Matt Larmand recorded the breath-taking clip at California's Capo Beach, near Los Angeles, two years ago.
After hearing of a shark sighting on the day, Matt decided to launch the drone in a bid to capture the fearsome predator – and managed to do so.
However, the shark swam off at full throttle, forcing him to fly the drone at full speed in an effort to keep up, with Matt estimating that it was travelling at speeds of “at least 20 miles per hour”.
The Daily Star reported Matt as estimating the shark to be roughly eight to 10 feet in length and said its underwater sprint covered around 50 yards.
Speaking to For The Win about the incredible encounter, Matt said: “I’m not sure what triggered him to burst into speed like that. I’ve never seen one do that.”
Chris Lowe, Director of the Shark Lab at California State University, reckoned it might have been the drone itself that made the shark act erratically.
He said: “This response to the shadow of the drone supports one reason why they hang out in shallow waters.
“They don’t know what is a threat and the safest behaviour is to flee when they experience something unknown.
“What’s also interesting is that babies will exhibit this rapid flight in one direction, while older sharks will do a loop around when scared.
“This doubling back on a potential threat is a typical predator behaviour to prevent a rear attack.”
The top speed of a great white shark is thought to be around 25 miles per hour, with adults growing to around 20 feet in length.
Mako sharks are the world's fastest and could exceed speeds of 40 miles per hour when they chase prey.
However, Mako sharks are extremely unlikely to attack humans – only nine attacks were recorded between 1580 and 2022, compared with 272 documented great white shark bites on humans in the last decade.
Last December, a surfer died after he was attacked by a shark off the coast of California.
Tomas Butterfield, 42, was found face-down in the water on Christmas Eve, with injuries that correspond with a great white shark attack.
He was pulled ashore just north of the famous Morro Rock.
