Shark sighted near surfer off Australia coast
Raw video: A drone captures the moment a shark swims towards a surfer before swimming away.
A surfer in Australia was busy looking for his next wave when a drone user alerted him to a circling shark.
Christopher Joye, who was patrolling the area as part of a volunteer search and rescue service, said he captured the footage Saturday at Werri Beach in New South Wales, about 85 miles south of Sydney.
GREAT WHITE SHARK SPOTTED OFF MASSACHUSETTS COAST FEEDING ON DEAD WHALE CARCASS
"Shark! Shark! Shark! Evacuate the water immediately!" Joye alerted the surfer through his Mavic 2 Enterprise drone’s built-in emergency speaker system.
The man on the board appeared to look up at the drone and immediately started paddling to shore. His sudden splashing seemingly spooked off the approaching predator.
SHARK TAKES BITE OUT OF SURFBOARD AS HAWAII TEEN ESCAPES ATTACK BY INCHES
Joye estimated the shark was between 9 and 13 feet. He said it could likely have been either a bronze whaler or a young great white.
New South Wales instituted a drone trial system at its beaches last year to warn beachgoers of any dangers lurking in the waters, according to Australia’s The New Daily.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
The trial released data earlier this year showing that the New South Wales coast was a hotspot for shark sightings, with 380 spotted last summer, according to the paper.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.