A young bodyboarder paddled through clear Southern California water with no idea that a juvenile great white shark moved quietly behind him. Drone footage captured the eight-foot shark closing the gap until it hovered just a foot away. The moment surged across social media because of its tension and the almost casual nature of the scene, Beachgrit reports.

The child kicked forward. The shark glided closer. Then, in a sharp and almost relaxed shift, it angled away.

A drone captured a great white approaching a child on a bodyboard.

A Drone Pilot Reacts

The video came from GreatWhiteDrone, a teen who has filmed white sharks for years. His channel is run with the help of his parent, who says the young filmer hopes his work “helps protect sharks all around the world,” according to Surfer.

Viewers demanded to know why he did not warn the boy. He responded that sudden beeping from the drone could “scare the person off their board,” increasing risk. He added that the shark “was still not acting aggressive,” a conclusion he drew from its predictable movement pattern, as reported by Beachgrit.

The shark came within about one foot of the child.

What Scientists See in the Footage

Drone operator and shark documentarian Carlos Gauna later reviewed similar encounters with researchers from the Shark Lab at California State University Long Beach. He recalled being “truly concerned for the swimmer,” but scientists pointed out details he missed in the moment, The Inertia reports.

Great whites around one to five years old hunt along the surf zone in a zig-zag pattern. What looks like a turn toward a human may be part of that routine. Gauna notes that “what appears to be a shark turning towards the young swimmer is actually the shark continuing its pattern along the beach.”

A 2023 Shark Lab study found juvenile whites near surfers 97 percent of the time at two Southern California aggregation sites.

“Most of the time water users didn’t even know the sharks were there,” researcher Patrick Rex told The Inertia.

A Close Call With a Clear Message

The bodyboarder never noticed the shark at his heels. The shark, after a brief investigation, slipped back toward deeper water and continued its search for rays and fish. Scientists say these moments reveal shark behavior more than shark aggression. They also show how often humans and great whites share the same spaces without incident.

Still, for parents, surfers, and bystanders, the image of a silent hunter behind a child lands with force.