A swimmer remained in the ocean off the Southern California coast, surrounded by six great white sharks, as captured in new drone footage. The video, filmed by marine documentarian Carlos Gauna, known online as The Malibu Artist, shows the man in shallow coastal waters between Santa Barbara and Malibu while several juvenile great white sharks moved through the area.
Lifeguards attempted to alert the swimmer and one even paddled out to him, but he chose to stay in the water. From his vantage point, Gauna observed sharks that may not have been visible to the man below. At one point, a juvenile shark passed within about a body length of the swimmer before turning and making another close pass.
Gauna stated on Instagram that the footage showed "One swimmer. Six great white sharks nearby." He regularly uses drones to monitor sharks along the Southern California coast and has frequently documented instances of sharks and beachgoers sharing the same waters.
Gauna explained that Southern California's shallow coastline serves as important habitat for juvenile great white sharks, increasing the likelihood of encounters between them and humans. He noted that these encounters likely happen more often than people realize and typically occur without incident.
However, Gauna also cautioned that larger sharks regularly frequent the area. "With that in mind, don’t get too comfortable, I do see adult 13–15 footers weekly as well," he said.
Gauna identified one of the juvenile sharks as "Tina," a shark he had previously observed and noted its increasing comfort around people without exhibiting aggressive behavior. Despite the close proximity between humans and sharks, Gauna emphasized that actual shark bites remain exceptionally rare.
"Despite how close and often people and sharks come together in the water, actual bites remain remarkably rare," he told Surfer.com. The documentarian has been observing sharks in the area for years, capturing numerous interactions that highlight the coexistence of marine predators and humans in coastal environments.