A swimmer had no idea a great white shark had come within arm’s length of him. I filmed the encounter from above as the shark circled him twice, then managed to find the swimmer on the beach just minutes later. I showed him the footage and captured his reaction as he realized how close the shark had actually been. This episode follows the encounter from several perspectives: what I saw from the drone, my immediate reaction afterward, the swimmer seeing the footage for the first time, and what happened along the beach later that day. These kinds of close encounters can look dramatic from above, but they also reveal how often people and white sharks can occupy the same stretch of ocean without ever knowing it. All footage was filmed in the wild with no bait, chum, or staged interaction. If you enjoy real, non-AI wildlife footage and field-based shark observations, consider subscribing to support the channel. 📸 Follow My Journey: Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/themalibuartist Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/TheMalibuArtist Website → https://www.themalibuartist.com 🎵 Music licensed through Soundstripe MERCH STORE: Check out my latest designs. https://www.youtube.com/@TheMalibuArtist/store ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your support is greatly appreciated on this channel. Please visit my Patreon page to support more videos like this. Or join my YouTube Crew or Explorer Membership. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For all footage licensing inquiries please reach out directly to me via the contact form on my website. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🌊 About The Malibu Artist I’m Carlos Gauna, wildlife cinematographer and storyteller. My goal is to explore how we see the ocean’s most misunderstood predators — and to show the wild, unfiltered moments that happen just beyond the surf. DISCLAIMER: I'm NOT a marine biologist. As with all YouTube content, I encourage independent verification of facts via official scientific and trustworthy sources. I will strive to post citations for any information I discuss here whenever possible. My goal is to use photography and drones to bring awareness to wildlife and the nature around us. I welcome collaborations with scientists to bring cinematic elements to the educational presentation. If my drone work can assist in the study of these animals, please reach out to me.

Great white sharks are everywhere along the Southern California coast this summer — but this month, they weren't the only sharks I found. Unusually warm water brought some unexpected encounters, including a hammerhead shark and an enormous ocean sunfish remarkably close to shore. In this month's field update, I return to the waters off Malibu, where juvenile great white sharks continue moving through busy beaches alongside surfers, swimmers and foil boarders — usually without anyone realizing they're there. But some of my favorite moments this month weren't about finding something rare. After years of documenting great white sharks from the air, I finally got the chance to take my dad out on the kayak and let him experience one from water level. I was also able to get my younger brother out there with me, making this one of the more memorable months I've had on the water. You'll also see: • Great white sharks cruising around the iconic Malibu Pier • A hammerhead shark in Southern California waters • A giant mola mola surprisingly close to shore • Great whites moving among surfers and other ocean users • A foil boarder falling into the water with a shark nearby • My dad and younger brother experiencing great white sharks from the kayak As ocean temperatures remain unusually warm and El Niño continues to develop, I'll be watching closely to see what other species begin appearing along the Southern California coast. As always, everything on this channel is filmed in the wild — no bait, no chum, and no staged encounters. Just real wildlife and the natural behavior I observe while documenting sharks along the California coastline. If you enjoy real-world great white shark footage, drone wildlife cinematography and observations from the field, subscribe and follow along. Thanks for watching. 📸 Follow My Journey: Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/themalibuartist Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/TheMalibuArtist Website → https://www.themalibuartist.com 🎵 Music licensed through Soundstripe MERCH STORE: Check out my latest designs. https://www.youtube.com/@TheMalibuArtist/store ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your support is greatly appreciated on this channel. Please visit my Patreon page to support more videos like this. Or join my YouTube Crew or Explorer Membership. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For all footage licensing inquiries please reach out directly to me via the contact form on my website. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🌊 About The Malibu Artist I’m Carlos Gauna, wildlife cinematographer and storyteller. My goal is to explore how we see the ocean’s most misunderstood predators — and to show the wild, unfiltered moments that happen just beyond the surf. DISCLAIMER: I'm NOT a marine biologist. As with all YouTube content, I encourage independent verification of facts via official scientific and trustworthy sources. I will strive to post citations for any information I discuss here whenever possible. My goal is to use photography and drones to bring awareness to wildlife and the nature around us. I welcome collaborations with scientists to bring cinematic elements to the educational presentation. If my drone work can assist in the study of these animals, please reach out to me.

LIVE drone feed of Great White Sharks

A swimmer waves off lifeguards while six great white sharks move through the same shallow water. From above, I could see what the swimmer likely could not—several sharks nearby, including one juvenile that passed within just feet of him. This encounter was filmed along the Southern California coast, where juvenile white sharks regularly use warm, shallow nearshore waters as nursery habitat. Although most encounters pass without incident, these are still powerful wild predators capable of changing speed and direction in a fraction of a second. The video also includes several of the most remarkable shark encounters I filmed over the past month: great whites passing surfers and boats, juvenile sharks reacting to bottlenose dolphins, sharks hunting stingrays in the shallows, and a curious white shark suddenly turning and biting my underwater camera. These scenes reveal how frequently great white sharks and people may share the same stretch of ocean without ever realizing it. Most of the sharks found close to shore are juveniles, but very large adult white sharks also travel through Southern California waters and occasionally pass surprisingly close to the beach. All footage is real, non-AI imagery. Subscribe for original great white shark footage, aerial wildlife observations, underwater encounters, and educational stories from the Southern California coastline. 📸 Follow My Journey: Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/themalibuartist Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/TheMalibuArtist Website → https://www.themalibuartist.com 🎵 Music licensed through Soundstripe MERCH STORE: Check out my latest designs. https://www.youtube.com/@TheMalibuArtist/store ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Your support is greatly appreciated on this channel. Please visit my Patreon page to support more videos like this. Or join my YouTube Crew or Explorer Membership. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For all footage licensing inquiries please reach out directly to me via the contact form on my website. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🌊 About The Malibu Artist I’m Carlos Gauna, wildlife cinematographer and storyteller. My goal is to explore how we see the ocean’s most misunderstood predators — and to show the wild, unfiltered moments that happen just beyond the surf. DISCLAIMER: I'm NOT a marine biologist. As with all YouTube content, I encourage independent verification of facts via official scientific and trustworthy sources. I will strive to post citations for any information I discuss here whenever possible. My goal is to use photography and drones to bring awareness to wildlife and the nature around us. I welcome collaborations with scientists to bring cinematic elements to the educational presentation. If my drone work can assist in the study of these animals, please reach out to me.

This short film, produced in partnership with Sigma, offers a behind-the-scenes look at what a day in the field is really like. From scanning miles of ocean with a drone to deploying underwater cameras, and trying to anticipate where a shark may appear next. For years, I’ve spent countless hours along the Southern California coastline searching for and documenting great white sharks from perspectives most people rarely get to see. There is no script when you work with wild animals. Every day is different, and most of the work happens long before a shark ever enters the frame. It requires patience, persistence, an understanding of the coastline, and a willingness to spend a lot of time searching without knowing what the ocean will reveal. Over the years, this process has allowed me to document rarely observed great white shark behavior, contribute footage and observations to scientific research, and film for productions including the BBC, National Geographic, and Discovery’s Shark Week. But at the heart of it all, my work remains focused on sharing an honest and observational view of these animals. Join me and Sigma for a documentary glimpse into the process, equipment, challenges, and experiences behind my work as TheMalibuArtist. A special thank you to Sigma and the entire production team for telling my story and capturing what a day of shark filming looks like from behind the scenes. ABOUT THE FILM Carlos “TheMalibuArtist” Gauna joins lens maker Sigma for a trip off the California coast to demonstrate what goes into his process of finding and filming great white sharks. From scanning the ocean surface with a drone to catching up with these remarkable predators and capturing underwater footage, join Carlos behind the scenes and learn more about his journey. This short film was shot entirely on Sigma AF Cine lenses—an innovative line of cinema lenses combining the smooth manual control of traditional cinema glass with the flexibility of fast, linear autofocus. Made in Aizu, Japan, these versatile lenses offer filmmakers and video creators a step up from traditional photographic zoom lenses. LENSES USED Sigma AF Cine 28–45mm T2 FF Sigma AF Cine 28–105mm T3 FF Learn more about Sigma photography and video equipment: https://www.sigmaphoto.com/ PRODUCTION CREDITS Director / Director of Photography: Graham Ehlers Sheldon https://www.instagram.com/grahamtesheldon/ Behind-the-Scenes Cinematographer / Editor: Milton Woods https://www.instagram.com/m.d._woods__/ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Please Subscribe for more original great white shark footage, field observations, underwater encounters, and behind-the-scenes filmmaking from the Southern California coastline. #GreatWhiteShark #TheMalibuArtist #SigmaCine #SharkDocumentary #WildlifeFilmmaking #BehindTheScenes 📸 Follow My Journey: Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/themalibuartist Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/TheMalibuArtist Website → https://www.themalibuartist.com MERCH STORE: Check out my latest designs. https://www.youtube.com/@TheMalibuArtist/store ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------