{"id":287778,"date":"2026-02-17T05:06:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T05:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/287778\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T05:06:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T05:06:09","slug":"drone-image-reveals-hidden-predator-just-off-aussie-beach-the-ones-you-dont-see","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/287778\/","title":{"rendered":"Drone image reveals hidden predator just off Aussie beach: ‘The ones you don’t see’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just 40 metres from the beach, a diver has spotted a large shark in the shallows of a reef. Most people probably would have missed the 2.5-metre-long bronze whaler,<\/a> but Hunter Campbell has trained his eye over the years to keep himself safe when entering the water.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got a bit of a keen eye for them,\u201d he told Yahoo News.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust as we’ve pulled up to our diving spot, I’ve just seen the fins cruising over the reef, so I put the drone up<\/a> and followed it around.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 1.6 million people have viewed his image of the shark on Instagram<\/a> since it was posted on the weekend. Most struggled to spot the ocean predator, highlighting the potential danger of entering the water without knowledge of the area.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s always the ones you don’t see that get you,\u201d Hunter said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did get in for a little bit after we saw him, but I think he’d well and truly gone by that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Where is the shark?<\/p>\n

To find the shark in Hunter\u2019s picture, you\u2019ll need to look at the centre blue patch, and then its shadow can be seen beneath a streak of white wash.<\/p>\n

It was taken at a remote beach in Western Australia\u2019s<\/a> Margaret River region, one of the nation\u2019s best hotspots for viewing sharks. While the beach is relatively quiet, it is popular with divers.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere in the country, the danger posed by large sharks varies. In NSW, there were four incidents<\/a> involving humans in January, while in Victoria, there hasn’t been a fatality in 35 years.<\/p>\n

\"Left:<\/p>\n

Look close and you can see the bronze whaler is on the reef (left). Source: roughroads__\/Instagram<\/p>\n

When it comes to bronze whalers, they can be dangerous to humans, but they\u2019re not known for their aggression.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think sharks get a pretty bad rap. But obviously, they can do some damage if you’re not careful,\u201d Hunter said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve swam with some monster tiger sharks that are big enough to pretty much swallow me whole, but they pretty much left me alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diver encourages Aussies to get off phones and into nature<\/p>\n

Despite Hunter\u2019s good fortune, almost any wild animal can be aggressive given the right circumstances.<\/p>\n

This was highlighted in a 2025 report that found dusky sharks, a species thought harmless to humans, killed a snorkeller in the Middle East.<\/a><\/p>\n

Hunter said he shares his travels around the great outdoors to encourage respect for the environment and to show that adventure can be found within a short drive from cities.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to get people out into the natural world, rather than just scrolling on phones,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Love Australia’s weird and wonderful environment? \ud83d\udc0a\ud83e\udd98\ud83d\ude33 Get our new newsletter<\/a> showcasing the week\u2019s best stories.<\/p>\n

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