Shark lurks metres from oblivious swimmer in bait ball at Bondi

Incredible footage has captured the moment a shark cruised just metres from two unsuspecting swimmers at Bondi.

Footage has shown a shark swimming just metres from people at Bondi. Picture: DroneSharkApp.

Incredible footage has captured the moment a feeding shark cruised just metres from two unsuspecting swimmers, before they spotted it and fled.

In the video, shared by the DroneSharkApp Instagram account, the pair of swimmers were seen swimming at the edge of a large school of salmon at Bondi.

A male swimmer casually glided ahead of his female counterpart, before a shark suddenly appeared below her from inside the ball of fish.

The woman clocked the shark and momentarily froze, before fleeing in the opposite direction of the predator.

The voice of the drone operator could be heard narrating the scene.

“I don’t know about this … wait for me,” he said, impersonating the woman.

“Wait for me, there’s sharks in these … Oh here he comes!”

The woman spotted the shark feeding underneath her. Picture: DroneSharkApp.

She quickly swam away and joined her companion. Picture: DroneSharkApp.

A separate video of the same bait ball at Bondi showed two swimmers relaxing amid the ball of fish while two sharks hunted beneath them.

The incredible clip, also posted to DroneSharkApp, showed a thick school of salmon hollowed out as the fish tried to avoid both the sharks and humans.

The sharks feeding in the bait ball appeared to be grey nurse sharks, which are generally considered harmless to humans.

But experts have warned against swimming near a bait ball or feeding sharks, regardless of species.

Grey nurse sharks are considered harmless to humans.

“You can identify feeding when you see foaming water and birds diving, and obviously the sharks themselves,” Humane Society International marine biologist Lawrence Chlebeck previously told news.com.au.

“Any time there are sharks feeding, it’s not a good idea for people to be there whether or not the species is considered dangerous. Sharks can make mistakes or the activity can attract larger species, so it’s better to be safe.”

Still, Mr Chlebeck said high fear of non-dangerous species was “unnecessary”.

“It’s important to remember that these species have been feeding in these waters for literally thousands of years,” he said.

“We just see it more often now because there are more eyes on the water, more drones and underwater cameras to capture sea life.”

Jason Iggleden, who runs the DroneSharkApp Instagram page, urged swimmers to remember it was “your choice” to swim with sharks.

“I haven’t seen any other dangerous sharks for a few years in these waters, (but) there’s still a chance they could come in. I can’t be in the air all day looking out for what’s around and I can’t be everywhere at once,” Mr Iggleden wrote.

He added he did not report grey nurse shark sightings but, “if I see something more dangerous, such as a great white or bull shark, or any other shark that could pose a threat, I will always notify the Bondi lifeguards.”

The couple held hands as they swam away. Picture: DroneSharkApp.

Separate videos showed yet more swimmers relaxing with the sharks. Picture: DroneSharkApp.

While many commenters were enthralled by the stunning videos, some were critical of the swimmers’ decision to swim so close to the bait.

“Stupid does what stupid does. Swimming so close to schools of baitfish,” one person wrote.

“Note to self: if you ever come across a school of fish while in the ocean, swim the hell away as fast as possible,” added another.

Others praised a sweet and easily missed detail in the video. The couple, after fleeing farther from the shark, held hands as they swam away.

“Bless the couple swimming and eventually hold hands. ‘If we’re going honey …. We be going together,’” one person wrote.

Originally published as Shark lurks metres from oblivious swimmer in bait ball at Bondi