Published 16:28 IST, October 8th 2020

Australian surfer's close encounter with shark captured by drone stuns internet | WATCH

Australian surfer was alerted by the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) from overhead about the 1.5m white shark following him in the ocean.

Reported by: Zaini Majeed
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A spine chilling foot of a professional surfer’s encounter with a dangerous shark in ocean has got watchers hailing surfer’s luck. In drone foot shared by responders at Surf Life Saving, New South Wales, Matt Wilkinson was surfing at Sharpes Beach at Ballina when drone operators spotted a five-foot shark sneaking behind him. Surfer Matt had a close encounter with a shark at Ballina, team informed, adding, that a drone overhead alerted Matt via a warning over speaker. 

World Championship surfer was stunned looking at recorded video and credited arrival of a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in being able to get out of ocean safely in a press release while 1.5m white shark followed him. drone operated by Surf Life Saving NSW on behalf of NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) was on a surveillance flight and was shocked to see speed at which gigantic fish raced behind surfer. team alerted Matt, who, fortunately, heeded warning at right time.

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“I was surfing out back at Sharpes Beach and just cruising on my own and I heard a splash and a ise and looked around and couldn’t see anything,” Wilkinson said in release. “n drone came down and told me that re was a dangerous shark in area, return to beach,” he added. 

Read: ‘Queen Of Ocean’: Massive Great White Shark Caught Off va Scotia, Netizens Amazed

Read: Swimmer Jumps Into Ocean To Touch Basking Shark, It Turns Out Be Great White | Watch

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Shark was 'going for leg'

Grateful about his strategic escape, world acclaimed surfer compared incident one Mick Fanning, a former Australian professional surfer and a shark attack survivor experienced in 2015. “I saw foot I saw similarities like I had a yellow leg rope on and Mick’s board was yellow is what I was thinking about when I came in,” he said. Matt said that he was at loss for words when  lifeguards showed him foot, adding, shark was “going for my leg” and n changed mind. Matt’s wife, on learning about his epic escape in ocean, forbade him to go on surfing for a couple of days. Under NSW Government’s $8million 2020/21 NSW Shark Program and many or coastal LGAs, Surf Life Saving NSW flies UAVs to assist lifeguards to protect swimmers from accidents and sea creatures. 

Read: 'Love Heart Of Nature': Shark In Heart-shaped Shoal Wins Drone Photo Award; Pic Inside

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Read: Malta Makes U-turn, Says Prince George Can Keep 23-million-yr-old Fossilised Shark Tooth

16:29 IST, October 8th 2020