Watch: The shark that cleared Ōhope Beach

• A 2m shark was seen swimming in the shallows at Ōhope Beach on Friday.
• A man who was in the water with his children at the time filmed the shark with his drone.
• Shark scientist Dr Riley Elliott told the Herald it was a 2m bronze whaler shark.

Footage of a 2m shark cruising in the shallows at Ōhope Beach and clearing the busy holiday spot has been captured by a drone.

Chris Service had been in the water with friends, teaching his kids to surf on Friday, December 27 when a large shark swam right between them.

“My mates freaked out, his kid practically ran on water to get out,” Service told the Herald.

Not wanting to panic his kids, Service slowly walked to shore with them before telling them about the shark once they were on land.

Service then put his drone up to see if he could find the shark.

“Sure enough, as soon as I got it up, within a minute there it was, cruising right in the shallows with heaps of people,” he said.

“There were 50-odd people in the water ... Everyone got out of the water after that!”

Initially, Service thought the shark was a great white. Shark expert Riley Elliott helped him identify it as a bronze whaler.

“Turns out it was a bronzey,” Service said.

Speaking to the Herald, Elliott confirmed the bronze whaler would have been about 2m long.

“Every day there’s multiple bronzeys ... 2m long, cruising in the shallows sunbathing, they do that every day, sunbathing to conserve energy,” he said.

Elliott said the species are “very attuned to humans and what we are”.

“They interact with us mainly when people are fishing so they learn to stay away from us,” he said.

A great white shark was also caught in a net in Kawhia on Sunday.

Elliott said young great whites are often found in harbours, where there are fewer predators.

“They’re baby great whites, it’s a safe haven, it’s their home,” he said.

Elliott said while it’s important not to be naive, there is no need for fear with proper education.

A great white shark. Photo / Clinton Duffy

“There are sharks out there but it’s knowledge and understanding that allows you to go out there and enjoy yourself,” he said.

Elliott said there’s been a shift in attitude towards sharks recently.

Surf lifeguards shut down beaches for 15 minutes out of respect for the sharks rather than fear, he said.

“It’s more a respect thing than anything else, it’s an animal in its own habitat, it’s important we give them some space and respect that,” he said.

Great whites are an endangered species, protected in New Zealand, “just as much as a kiwi or tuatara is”, Elliott said.

Katie Oliver is a Christchurch-based Multimedia Journalist and breaking news reporter.