Like many swimmers, Ashley Anderson prefers watching sharks from a distance.
"I love sharks," Anderson said. "Yeah, like behind the tank."
- Volusia Beach Safety is testing drones to help identify swimmers in distress
- Shark sightings may be another goal with the drones
- 2 people were bitten by sharks in Florida this weekend
Now technology, like drones, could become a lifeguard's eyes from the sky. Drones could be used to let lifeguards know when sharks are near.
Two people were bitten by sharks along Florida beaches this past weekend.
In both cases, no one knew those sharks were lurking nearby.
Professor Joe Cerreta with Embry Riddle Aeronautical University says drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, can spot sharks from the air better than people looking from land.
"Often times there are glares and glints from the sun that would prevent somebody observing for sharks on a slightly elevated platform or elevation whatsoever," said Cerreta.
Operators can fly small drones with a camera attached, or larger, better equipped drones which can stay up in the air much longer, and fly over the beach.
"UAS has the innate capabilities from that look-down perspective to see wildlife, including hazardous wildlife like sharks, that may not have otherwise been detected," said Cerreta.
That would help lifeguards decide when to get swimmers out of the water.
Right Now, Embry Riddle has an agreement to help Volusia County Beach Safety and Ocean Rescue research the use of drones to one day help identify swimmers in distress, deliver lifesaving devices to them, and help with search and rescue.
Spotting sharks would be an additional goal.
"It'd be nice to know they're in the area," said Anderson