4 hundred sharks swam up to carefree schoolchildren underwater (9 photos)

This creepy sight was captured by a drone off the coast of Western Australia: hundreds of predatory narrow-toothed sharks swimming near children. Queensland photographer Sean Scott couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a pair of three-metre sharks near teenagers off Red Bluff Beach...

"I've never seen them come close to people... and they're so huge..." Scott told Channel Nine. Incredible drone footage captured the moment sharks swam literally under a group of children floundering on boards and mattresses.

The photographer launched his drone and suddenly saw sharks swimming among the waves. They approached the schoolchildren quite closely, who were splashing a few meters from the shore.

“Obviously, they became interested in what was happening, swam close, realized that this was not suitable prey for them, and moved away,” Scott said. “But it was incredible: to see these unsuspecting boys just floating on their backs.”

The photographer was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to see one of these rare moments:

"Watching these beautiful sharks in their natural environment is something amazing. The huge ball of bait attracted hundreds of these narrow-toothed sharks here. And I was very impressed to see people and sharks swimming here next to each other..."

"There were other people diving and surfing very close to these sharks who showed no interest in them, completely focused on their bait. What I saw really highlighted how unique the coastline here is with such a thriving sea life.

I was lucky enough to see turtles, humpback whales and various sharks here. I've swam with stingrays and whale sharks myself, and the ocean life here is second to none."

Sean Scott also captured stunning footage of 150 narrowtooth sharks spinning a huge ball of bait on a popular beach.

The photographer said he hopes his photos can add a little more "common sense" to the ongoing debate about shark culling in Australia.

"They show that in a healthy environment like the one we saw there, with so many fish, sharks can live side by side with people. Give them more space and leave them alone!"

Narrowtooth sharks often approach the shore and, as a rule, are not aggressive towards people.