Dramatic drone footage from high above Fingal Bay in Port Stephens has captured the full extent of a shark hunt off the popular strip.

Running mullet have given the grey nurse sharks plenty of incentive to slice through the clear green waters of the bay, forcing authorities to close the beach to swimming, and drawing crowds onto the sand to watch.

Footage from this month, uploaded to YouTube by Damian Hurley, offers a bird's eye view of the sharks doing what they do best among the thick tide of fish.

The Department of Primary Industries is carrying out daily aerial patrols of the bay, which is closed to swimming until further notice.