Tourist's stunning discovery after wife questions ocean swim: 'Very close'

A man has urged others to be careful in the water after his wife’s morning swim almost took a frightening turn during a family holiday at a popular Aussie beach. Filip Chatys, his wife, Graza, and their three children kicked off their trip last week with a leisurely stroll along Boomerang Beach, near Forster on the NSW Mid North Coast.

With the morning sun beaming off the inviting blue water, avid swimmer Graza couldn’t help but want to dive in like she does most mornings near her Terrigal home. Unfamiliar with the area, she asked Filip if he believed it would be safe to go for a swim — prompting the wildlife enthusiast to send up his drone to have a look.

To his surprise, he quickly spotted a large mature shark chucking its own laps just 50 metres from the shore. “It was enough evidence for her to change her thinking 180 degrees,” Filip, who documents his adventures online, told Yahoo News on Tuesday.

Man spots numerous sharks 'cruising the shallows' at beach

And it wasn’t the only shark he saw “cruising the shallows” over the five-day holiday.

“My wife really is keen to swim every morning and the water looks beautiful and although you can see it's super shallow, and you can meet with sharks everywhere… but these were very, very close,” Filip, who is originally from Poland and has been living in Australia for almost 10 years, said.

Late one afternoon, the dad told Yahoo he visited the beach again with his children and was able to spot a shark about 100 metres away from another group of kids floating in the water, but it didn’t appear to be “interested in getting closer”.

As people slowly packed up and left, it inched even closer to the sand and Filip used the moment to educate his young family about wildlife.

Drone footage good reminder to be careful in the water

While it’s common knowledge sharks like to hunt at dawn and dusk, Filip said the footage is a good reminder to always be aware when going for a dip.

“When you are a tourist like myself and coming to the area and it looks so beautiful, many people would not guess that you can encounter a shark in such shallow, flat waters and so close to the beach,” he said.

“Because of the sheer size of the shark, you would think ‘Oh my goodness, what [is it] looking for?’, but the shark is just doing its thing. And when you are in the water, you’re just exposed.”

• Aussie state's controversial beach decision puts shark species at risk of extinction

• Fisherman's 'chaotic' battle with shark over 115kg fish of a lifetime

• Man's unusual memento after shark attack at popular Aussie beach

Why do sharks hunt at dawn and dusk?

Speaking to Yahoo, Professor David Raubenheimer said while it’s hard to tell for sure, the large shark the dad caught on camera early in the morning appears to be a bronze whaler due to its curved snout.

“The most likely reason sharks hunt in dawn and dusk is this allows them to approach with the sun behind them which makes them less visible to prey,” he said.

A study led by Flinders shark ecologist Dr Charlie Huveneers and published in 2015 revealed details their impressive ability.

After observing dozens of great whites, Dr Huveneers stated that on sunny days, sharks reversed their direction of approach from the east in the morning to the west in the afternoon, but approached bait from no specific direction when it was overcast.

Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? Get our new newsletter showcasing the week’s best stories.