In 2019, a drone pilot in Australia treated the internet to an aerial view of a fever of sea rays. (Yes, a group of rays is a “fever.”) Now, that same pilot has again captured the rare sight. But, unlike that first video, which was set to classical music, this one features the drone operator describing the sighting. And lighting up like a kid on their birthday while doing so.
Bondi Nation, a group of content creators who “capture all the weird, wild, and entertaining daily adventures that the good humans of Bondi” get up to, posted the above video to its YouTube channel. For those unfamiliar, Bondi Beach is a popular beach in Sydney, Australia. And scenic AF would be an understated description of the sandy slice of Heaven.
“This is [a] spectacular event,” the drone operator, Jason, who works for the Drone Shark App company, says in the video. The gobsmacked operator adds that the rays are “absolute beauties” and exclaims with pure joy that “he’s died and gone to Heaven.”
Bondi Nation
The fever of cownose rays is indeed a wondrous sight to behold. Cownose rays are a species of eagle ray, which roam the open oceans in majestic fevers. Which, oddly enough, look like very symmetrical bowls of ravioli. While the cownose rays are certainly sleek—and even cute in the facial area—people should observe them from a distance. Their venomous, barbed tails, which are less cute than the rays’ faces, can be fatal.
Bondi Nation
Speaking of which, the reason Jason is recording these rays is because he’s trying to protect Bondi from ocean baddies. The Drone Shark team uses their gear to not only warn of rays, but also, of course, sharks. Which sounds like a great idea. Perhaps even one Australia should consider for the rest of its more danger-proned areas.