“I capture the moment on camera. This may be the first time such an incident has been documented in real time.”
Carlos Gauna is a FAA certified drone pilot that flys over the waters of Southern California capturing raw untold stories of the ocean, especially about sharks, and shares them with his massive social media following. His thriving YouTube channel often includes surfers and paddleboarders peacefully coexisting in close proximity to great white sharks but his most recent video captured a violent scene featuring a powerboat that may be the first of its kind.
At first Guana wasn’t sure if white shark had been struck by the passing boat but it emerged moments after the collision with a massive white gash, consistent with a propellor strike, on its caudal peduncle. Gauna brought his drone close to the surface of the water and captured the shark’s injury in graphic detail as its swam with a faint trail of blood in its wake.
The great white’s chances of survival are difficult to estimate as the extent of it’s internal damage from the propeller strike are impossible to judge from an aerial view but the species are renown for their remarkable resilience. The sharks movements immediately after the collision were promising and showed signs that it’s spine was not compromised. We will be sure to update on the sharks condition if it is observed at a latter date.