A leisurely drone flight to capture the waves at Bondi Beach turned into a mad dash to rescue a spearfisherman being attacked by a shark. The flying video technology that lets us record magnificent aerial vistas and high-speed action has been adapted for use in search and rescue, but this time, we get to see the happened. Drone pilot Matt Woods witnessed a terrifying moment while flying over the waters at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia. Instead of capturing the beautiful waters of the Tasman Sea, Mr. Woods caught a spearfisherman fending off an angry shark searching for its next meal. The Daily Mail reported on this horrifying sight that lasted half an hour, where the ocean predator can be seen lunging at the diver multiple times. Mr. Woods was quick to act and contacted the local lifeguards while keeping his drone steady over the diver. This allowed him to direct the rescue to the fisherman where a lifeguard jet ski pushed the shark back out to sea. Thankfully, the diver made it atop some rocks by a reef and was safe. Flying drone and hungry sharks Drones are not new to search and rescue. We recently posted an article about adapting photogrammetry used in this manner for VFX. The event that Matt Woods witnessed was a unique opportunity to see how drones can be a versatile tool for not only visuals but for saving lives. DJI Drone by a horse. Image Credit: DJI But what about the shark!? I...
Published By: CineD - Tuesday, 27 July, 2021