Officers aboard the Orange County Sherriff's Department helicopter issued a warning on May 10 to civilians frolicking near the waters of California's Capistrano Beach to calmly head toward shore for their own safety.
The sudden advisory was because of the 15 great white sharks spotted swimming too close to the beach, which could potentially attack beachgoers when provoked or become curious about the activity near the shore.
Shark Advisory
In the video, Deputy Brian Stockbridge communicates with the lifeguard outpost to make the announcement.
"You are paddleboarding next to approximately 15 great white sharks ... Exit the water in a calm manner. The sharks are as close as the surf line," Deputy Stockbridge broadcasts.
According to OC Lifeguards Chief Jason Young, there were similar reports brought to their attention and the advisory had just been dropped on May 9. The OCSD's recent sighting, however, made them decide to put the advisory back up.
"We haven't had any reports of anyone being bumped or charged, just observations of them either swimming or breaching," Young said.
You can watch the footage below.
Shark Attacks
The OCSD sighting is only one of the many reported sightings of great whites in California. In fact, a woman surfing at the San Onofre State Beach on April 29 was attacked by a still-unidentified shark.
While shark attacks don't happen often - at least not when humans are careful and do not swim too near their territories - there still have been near-fatal incidences that strike fear in beachgoers' hearts.
In May 2016, a woman swimming in Boca Raton, Florida was bitten by a nurse shark, which refused to release the woman's arm. The woman was brought to the hospital with the 2-foot dying shark still attached, but the shark did not survive the ordeal.
Also on the same month, a teenage boy surfing with his father on Neptune Beach was attacked by an unidentified shark in waist-deep waters. The boy sustained severe lacerations on his right leg but the shark was not found.
On June 28, an 11-year-old boy surfing at Atlantic Beach in California was bitten on his left leg and sustained multiple deep wounds. Earlier that month, an 18-year old man was also bitten in the same beach and sustained multiple deep wounds on his hands and wrist.
The United States already leads in numbers when it comes to shark attacks reported worldwide. In fact, of the 98 shark attacks recorded in 2015, 59 were from the United States, 30 of which were recorded in Florida.
While not all shark attacks are deadly, it still pays to be prepared and know how to act in such a situation. Read our advice on what to do if a shark attacks you.
