“I swear to God, this thing’s body was so fat, I thought it was somebody’s boat. I thought it was an orca..."
It’s shark season, again, in California. That time of year when Great Whites big and small come and enjoy the tasty waves and cool buzz that only the Golden State can provide. Now, surfers have long suspected that sharks may be near though conventional wisdom had them further north, patrolling Alcatraz, for example. Advancements in drone technology, however, have revealed they are everywhere and in droves. La Jolla, Huntington, Ventura and even Pismo Beach.
Yes, the Clam Capital of the World, equidistant betwixt San Francisco and Los Angeles, is famous for many things, including clams, clam chowder and clam digging. It is not famous for its surf but that doesn’t stop its hearty local for trying to find a corner. One, David Steiner, has been trying for 34 years and used to be fearful of the beasts malingering below. Waiting for a moment to nibble on his tender toes. Well, as fate would have it, Steiner became a drone enthusiast with a particular kink for capturing sharks.
“I started really watching what they were doing, and they were just ignoring surfers completely,” Steiner told the San Luis Obispo Tribune. “That kind of helps my mentality with staying in the water.”
Anyhow, late last month he was out flying his drone and he saw a beast making its way toward a group of surfers.
“I swear to God, this thing’s body was so fat, I thought it was somebody’s boat. I thought it was an orca. And then when I saw it was a great white, I was trembling,” he declared.
Worried, he tried to get the gaggle to head in. “I have tried flying my drone in people’s faces, and they don’t react anyway,” he continued. “They wave you off, they don’t know what you’re trying to tell them. There’s no speaker.”
They all eventually made it to shore without incident, one messaging Steiner later when he posted the footage, but his advice is, “Don’t be afraid of the water. The lack of incidents proves to me that they’re not interested.”
Be comforted here.