March 14th, 2019: Quobba Station Picnic

[xoxoxoBruce]

Red Bluff on Quobba Station in Western Australia where everything larger than your pinky toe wants to kill you...
... and everything bigger than your fist can.

If you go down to the waves today
You're sure of a big surprise
If you go down in the waves today
Better watch out for these guys!

All bronze whaler sharks that is
Will gather there for certain
Because today's the day the
Whaler sharks have their picnic!

When I arrived with my family, the first thing I noticed was this huge bait ball. I could see from the camp that there were also a few sharks cruising through the bait fish. I was stuck between trying to set up camp for my family and also trying to capture this amazing moment.

After about 30 minutes of trying to set up camp, I had to quit and fly the drone. Once I got the drone in the air I was amazed at just how many sharks there were. Over 200 bronze whaler sharks feeding on the bait ball.

The surf was pumping and it was awesome to see. I filmed the sharks for about one hour when I noticed the baitfish got pushed in very close to the shore. I could then see some big sharks close to the waves.

It was then when I decided to land the drone and pick up my big camera and lens to try and see if I could get a shot of the sharks from the beach. The shore break was quite large so the first wave came and I fired off a test shot to get my exposure and focus right.
The very next wave rose up right on the shore and sure enough, there were 2 big sharks in excess of 2 meters in the wave. These sharks almost got washed onto the beach.

I snapped away and ended up with 3 of my favorite shots. I stayed and waited for a further 2 hours and did not see them in that close again. It was awesome to watch as the surf was also very good and a lot of surfers surfing very closely without any problems.

In case you're wondering the Bronze Whaler Shark is bitey, but goes for the easiest meal.
No, they are not Dolphins.

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