Drone pilots saves surfer's life after alerting him about 10ft shark that was stalking him
A man who was flying his high-tech drone over the waters of Werri Beach in New South Wales this past Sunday, September 15, saved a surfer's life after he spotted a shark barreling towards him and used his drone's speakers to warn him off.
Christopher Joye posted the video (see below) of the heart-racing incident on his Twitter account and wrote, "At Werri Beach today this large shark was approaching a surfer, and I used my drone's speaker system to warn him. Watch him look up at the drone, then bolt, with the sudden splashing warding off the approaching shark."
In the 50-second clip, which has been viewed over 120,000 times, the shadowy outline of a large shark can be seen fast approaching the unsuspecting surfer in the ocean's pristine waters.
Realizing that the surfer was completely unaware of the danger, Joye used the emergency speaker on his drone to warn him, following which he immediately took his legs out of the water.
"I don't think he saw it," said Joye in response to one user who asked about the surfer's reaction. "He looked puzzled when I was relaying that a large shark had been on approach when he was back on the beach. He certainly heard the message."
When one pessimistic user pointed out that the shark had turned away before the surfer started paddling and that the splashing did not deter it, Joye replied, "Actually that is not right. After the shark alert sounded u can see the man look up at the drone, then he splashed his leg to turn the board around, which is what forced the shark to turn - his further splashing spooks it more."
"That's crazy stuff, probably saved that guy's life, shark was headed for him," one user commented. Another similarly wrote, "Wow that’s incredible. You might’ve just saved that surfer’s life. Well done you."
Speaking about the encounter to Illawarra Mercury, Joye said that the shark appeared to be between 10 and 13-feet long and had been circling the surfer prior to his drone sighting. "It looked like either a bronze whaler or a great white, but I am not sure," he said. "I have seen numerous sharks at Werri using drones, but this is the first time I have been able to warn anyone with the speaker system. It is also the first time I have seen one heading for a surfer."