Surfer narrowly escapes shark in Australia
The close call was captured by a patrol drone belonging to lifeguards at Sharpes Beach, 162 km (100 miles) away from Brisbane. In the footage, former pro surfer Matt Wilkinson is seen paddling on his surf board when a shark briefly surfaces behind him, then swims away.
The drone footage was filmed as part of a new program for lifeguards at Sharpes Beach, designed to monitor sharks and other marine life, as well as alert beach-goers via a sound system when they're in danger.
"I was surfing out the back at Sharpes Beach and just cruising on my own," Wilkinson said in a press release issued by Surf Life Saving New South Wales.
"I heard a splash and a noise and looked around and couldn't see anything. Then the drone came down and told me that there was a dangerous shark in the area," he added.
A 46-year-old surfer was killed last month in a beach on the Gold Coast last month after suffering severe leg injuries, with Australia recording a total of 19 shark attacks in 2020, according to the Taronga Conservation Society.
