With his head covered by a beach towel, Seal Beach Marine Safety Lt. Chris Pierce focused on an iPad mounted on a remote control console.
On the tablet's screen was a live video feed of the Pacific Ocean several yards off the coast of Surfside. A lifeguard boat appeared on the left side of the screen, along with a gray figure swimming in the water.
It was a juvenile great white shark, about 5 feet to 6 feet long, seen in high definition through the Marine Safety Department's new drone.
"We sent the drone about 1,100 feet from where we were, just outside the surf line," Pierce said Wednesday.