Great white sharks are one of the most misunderstood creatures on Earth. Found in the coastal waters of all major oceans, great whites can grow up to 20ft long and weigh up to 5,000lbs with an estimated 70 year lifespan. Due to habitat disturbance, climate change, hunting, and misconceptions about great whites, their populations have declined. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has categorized great white sharks as vulnerable to extinction. Great white sharks are only naturally vulnerable to one other predator, an orca whale, and even then it is a rare occurrence for a great white to fall prey to an orca. Though great whites are known for holding the record for the most attacks on humans of any other shark species, humans and their influences are the great white’s primary threat.

When Carlos Guana first began his journey as a professional photographer in 2001, he was determined to show the world that the majestic great white sharks inhabiting the waters where he lived in Malibu, CA, were far from the vicious creatures they have been depicted as in films like Jaws. Using social media as a platform to educate, Carlos works with local scientists to photograph and collect data on sharks with his drone.

By filming sharks with a drone, Carlos has been able to provide researchers and the public with a new understanding of these apex predators. For one, Carlos has found that there are far more human/shark interactions occurring than ever suspected. It is through the bird’s eye view of a drone that these interactions are now visible. Carlos has learned that in nearly all instances these creatures, who are feared by humans, are sometimes curious, but mostly just content to go on gliding through the waves. This is providing valuable behavioral studies to researchers who previously had to rely on limited interactions and tagging programs.

The random shark interactions that Carlos captures with his drone recently caught the attention of Orlando Bloom. Perhaps best known for his roles in the Pirates of the Caribbean and Lord of the Rings franchises, Orlando is an avid water sports fan. He has been famously (or infamously) filmed paddle boarding several times. In September 2021, Orlando contacted Carlos to orchestrate an encounter with a great white shark. Carlos flew his drone above the water, and Orlando followed it on his paddle board. It wasn’t long before a juvenile shark was languidly swimming along and beneath Orlando. Orlando captioned his video of the encounter, “When fear becomes your friend”.

When Carlos captures such encounters with his drone, it only convinces him that he needs to keep on filming them so that he, the scientific world, and the public can learn more about them. “Great white sharks have been patrolling the seas for at least 16 million years, and there’s no real way to know exactly how many are out there,” Carlos narrates in his 2020 highlight video. “We are seeing more of them, but that does not necessarily mean there are more out there. Perhaps we are seeing more because we have the means to really study them from the air now.” By using drones, the world is being given an opportunity to understand great white sharks. Carlos is hopeful that this understanding will lead to the protection of these beautiful, misunderstood creatures.