WHEN landscape photographer Sean Scott pulled his car into the camping grounds at Red Bluff last week, he was faced with a tough decision.

After noticing a mass baitball close to shore, the father-of-three was torn between setting up the family camp for the night or pulling out his drone.

He chose the latter option — and he was thoroughly rewarded.

Camera Icon The massive bait ball at Red Bluff. Credit: PerthNow, Sean Scott.

The Queensland-based photographer captured incredible footage of the rare moment when a frenzy of feasting sharks circled the buffet of baitfish, with carefree swimmers, surfers and snorkellers able to get up close to the action.

“I half set up (the camp) but I had to drop everything because I couldn’t contain my excitement,” he said.

“Once I got the drone up in the air that’s when I realised how surreal and how incredible the event was.”

Camera Icon Drone footage of the bait ball close to shore. Credit: PerthNow, Sean Scott.

Mr Scott said the phenomenon was one of the most “breathtaking moments of nature” he’d ever seen.

“My whole family (was) in awe,” he said.

“What really impressed me was how people and the sharks were co-existing side-by-side.

“There were people diving and surfing very close to this event and the sharks showed no interest in them and were happy concentrating on the bait ball.

Camera Icon Surfers in the water as sharks feed around them. Credit: PerthNow, Sean Scott.

“What I saw really emphasised just how special the WA coastline is with such a flourishing healthy marine life.”

Days earlier, local surfer Simon Tocas and his 16-year-old son Jack had been surfing at Red Bluff when they decided to put up their drone, managing to capture hundreds of sharks herding tens of thousands of fish.

“Under the midday sun we knew we had some really good footage of a pretty spectacular scene,” Mr Tocas said.

The amazing drone footage was not enough for the pair, who jumped into the water with the sharks, using their GoPro to get a closer look.

Mr Tocas said he was even able to touch one on the tail.

“They came pretty close, under us and around us,” he said.

“You could see they were weary of us.”

The father and son said reality hit as they swam back to shore.

Camera Icon Sharks make a meal of the school. Credit: PerthNow, Sean Scott.

“That was probably the most nerve-racking time really, because we were sort of looking over our shoulders a little bit and half expecting them to give me a nip on the fins,” Mr Tocas said.

Mr Tocas said it was not unusual to see sharks feeding on large schools of fish in the area, but he had never seen fish as thick, condensed or so close to shore, which made the event easier to film.

Department of Fisheries’ Dr Rick Fletcher said bait balls were a sign of a healthy marine environment, but said they could also be dangerous.

Dr Fletcher said one of the Department’s key safety messages was to stay away from large schools of fish.