Dad Using Drone Spots Shark Near Kids: ‘Too Close of an Encounter’

A father spotted a shark swimming near his children while taking aerial photos of his kids at New Smyrna Beach in Florida last week.

Professional photographer Dan Watson said he saw something shadowy in the water as he looked at pictures captured by his drone.

“As soon as I got it into the air, I started seeing a shadow moving through the water right towards them,” he told reporters.

Watson said he and his wife began calling to their children to get back onto the beach to safety.

“I was like, ‘Get out, get out, get out!'” his wife Sally commented. “I immediately get the kids out of the water. I see them get out of the water, and he immediately brings the drone to me, and I see the shark swimming at my children.”

Watson later posted the drone photo of the shark and his children to Instagram. “See that dark shadow making its way straight for the shore and those people? That was my view this weekend while flying my Mavic 2 Pro… and oh, 3 of those people are my kids!” The father wrote.

A report by the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File said that America had the highest number of unprovoked shark attacks in 2018.

“As the human population continues to expand and as interest in outdoor aquatic recreational activities increases, the incidence of shark attacks is expected to rise,” the report stated.

The first recored shark attack of 2019 at New Smyrna Beach happened in April when a man was bitten on his right calf as he waded waist-deep in the ocean.

Watson wrote that after the initial incident, he will no longer go to the beach without his camera. “Definitely too close of an encounter for my liking! Thinking my DJI drone is now coming with me to every beach day!!!”