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Terrifying Drone Footage Shows Sharks Lurk Near Unassuming Swimmers: VIDEO

As if it was right out of Jaws, viewers were left stunned after shocking drone footage showed unsuspecting swimmers just feet away from a shark. The drone operator, Robert Russ, captured the skin-crawling footage at Florida’s iconic Daytona Beach. In the video, you can see the swimming reptile creep around the unassuming swimmers. 

Russ told news outlets that he and his brother filmed the footage Thursday at Daytona Beach. From one angle, viewers can see the men standing chest-deep in the water as the shark sneaks up on them before darting away. 

Viewers can see the shark swimming away from other beach-goers in another clip. A third shot shows a group of swimmers using floatation devices while bodysurfing as the shark swims behind them.

In an email, Russ said the shark might have been a Blacktip variety and looked to be about 6 to 7 feet in length. “It swam towards multiple people before realizing they were not food and moving on,” he wrote in an email. Later, the shark swam north for about a mile and a half, Russ added.

“It was unnerving at moments to watch this since there are quite a few people bitten here,” he said, “but [it] confirms they are generally unintentional bites.”

Ohio woman comes out unscathed after shark attack at Daytona Beach

According to the University of Florida, in 2021, the United States led all countries with 47 confirmed cases of shark attacks, or 64% of the worldwide total. 

This year, the number of shark bites in the U.S. is up 42% from 2020, which saw 33 incidents. As for states, Florida leads the pack in shark bites, per the university.

As for Blacktips, since 1926, incidents with the species account for about 15% of the unprovoked attacks in Florida.

In addition, Volusia County, where Daytona Beach is located, is known as the world’s shark bite capital. From 2012 to 2021, 94 unprovoked bites by the fish were recorded in the county. Since 1882, 337 unprovoked bites have been recorded in Volusia County. 

Last month, an Ohio woman was attacked by a shark while vacationing at the well-known beach. According to reports, Tasa Summers was vacationing with her boyfriend when she was bitten while wading in the water. 

Thankfully, Summers only suffered non-life threatening injuries. Officials said Summers was in waist-deep water when the reptile bit her in her lower leg, the outlets reported.

“My first instinct was just to scream,” she told news outlets. “Then, I really tried to make sure I didn’t fall back into the water because I didn’t know if it would — I didn’t know if I fell back, if it would go after my arm or another part of my body.”