On July 21, drone pilot and marine wildlife photographer Carlos Gauna posted a frightening video to Instagram.<\/p>\n
Gauna, known online as The Malibu Artist, captured a 10-foot great white shark swimming extremely close to children off the Southern California coast.<\/p>\n
The children appeared unaware of the shark\u2019s presence, with the apex predator approaching and swimming away without incident.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t often get nervous, but this was one of those rare instances where I did. The young swimmers had no idea,\u201d Gauna wrote in the caption of his Instagram post.<\/p>\n
Per a TMZ report<\/a>, some people who watched the video felt he should have alerted the kids to the danger, but Gauna explained that he was located more than a mile away when his drone captured the footage. The warning could have triggered panic among the swimmers and splashing, which may have caught the shark\u2019s attention, he said.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n View this post on Instagram<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Gauna\u2019s footage may seem alarming, but the photographer\u2019s clip is one of several drone videos capturing close calls over the last few months.<\/p>\n In May, YouTube channel GreatWhiteDronE posted a clip of a young kid paddling to shore, seemingly unaware of the great white shark following closely behind.<\/p>\n According to experts, more great white sharks are expected across California waters this summer.<\/p>\n Sharks are Moving to SoCal<\/p>\n According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an El Ni\u00f1o weather pattern began in the Pacific Ocean last month and has since strengthened.<\/p>\n El Ni\u00f1o is when ocean temperatures are warmer than usual in the central and eastern tropical Pacific, which happens when east-to-west trade winds weaken, bringing warm waters toward the Americas.<\/p>\n During this phenomenon, groups of juvenile great white sharks take a trip to SoCal waters, which remain chilly even in the summer months. This year, young sharks were first spotted venturing into California waters back in February<\/a>.<\/p>\n But while the sight of sharks can be scary, experts are reassuring Californians there is no need to worry.<\/p>\n \u201cHumans don\u2019t look like prey, they don\u2019t sound like prey,\u201d Dr. Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at California State University Long Beach, told The Guardian<\/a>. \u201cIf it doesn\u2019t feel like prey [to a white shark], they ignore it. It\u2019s not a threat, it\u2019s not food.\u201d<\/p>\n Lowe added that the general consensus among researchers is that sharks can differentiate between people and food. Since humans do not smell like a shark\u2019s typical prey, they may leave them alone.<\/p>\n