Don’t fall.
That’s what was racing through Matt Larmand’s mind as he hovered his drone over a group of hydrofoilers who were zooming around off Capistrano Beach in Dana Point Wednesday evening, Aug. 21, likely unaware they had great white sharks lingering within feet of them.
Larmand was about a quarter-mile away, so he couldn’t warn the group about the sharks nearby.
And he couldn’t scream out when one of the riders fell into the water just feet from one of the sharks.
Larmand has had his drone flying above the area all summer, near where he lives, searching for sharks.
A few summers ago, he captured images of juvenile sharks hanging out in what experts call “hot spots.” This year, shark sightings have been more sporadic, Larmand said. He’s captured footage of some small great whites here and there, but not as often as during the warm-water El Niño years.
At about noon Wednesday, Larmand got footage of three great white sharks near Beach Road, including a beefy eight-footer, he estimated, larger than the juveniles that come close to shore to warm up in shallower waters.
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When he again flew his drone at 5 p.m., he noticed the hydrofoilers on electric, fast-moving boards being towed around by a Jet Ski.
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Larmand decided to capture some footage of them racing around, when he noticed he wasn’t the only one checking them out.
His video shows the riders coming within feet of the sharks — with one surfer going right over a shark at one point, spooking it.
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“It was almost like they could care less they were there,” Larmand said of the sharks. “One of the clips I have, the guy being towed by the Jet Ski, they were going by and went past by six to seven feet away, and the shark could care less if they went right past him. The sharks were being really mellow.”
Then came the slip, the unidentified rider falling into the water.
“I was freaking out. I was like, he has no idea there’s a shark right next to them,” Larmand said. “He was just sitting there, he had no clue. I would be freaking out if I was him, it was just insane to watch.”
The guy got back on the board, just as the video zooms in on the shark as he swims away.
Experts say the younger sharks, in the six- to seven-foot range, are docile youngsters simply looking for warm water and food such as stingrays. It’s the larger, more curious juveniles that cause concern.
A stretch of San Clemente was shut down a few weeks ago after an estimated 10-footer and two smaller sharks were spotted close to shore by surfers.
With word of sharks in the area, Dana Wharf will launch a “shark search” tour in the area at 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
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