Helicopter blows unauthorized drone out of the sky at Jaws surf event [video]

Well, I believe this is a first. During a World Surf League event at the (in)famous surf spot Jaws, a helicopter simply blows an unauthorized drone out of the sky and into the drink. Original? Yes. Smart, and safe solution, recommended by the FAA? Not so much.

Drone vs Helicopter

With so many people moving around in heavy surf accompanied by jetskis and boats, a drone hovering above and to then bring in a helicopter to blow the drone out of the skies and into the water… This could have ended in a million different ways. Luckily it worked very effectively and the drone was blown into the water without hitting or injuring anybody.

During the dangerous surf event at Jaws, an unauthorized drone was capturing footage of the event. Initially, people on jetskis were trying to throw items up in the air, aiming to hit the drone. When that did not work, the chopper was brought in.

Surf magazine, Stab had this to say about the incident:

“No drone zone.” At WSL sanctioned events you’ll find these signs stuck in the dirt, sand, stapled to trees, trampled underfoot, everywhere. And, maybe from our unauthorized eye-in-the-sky bootlegging of Kelly Wonka’s Wave Factory, the WSL’s battle against rogue drones is as serious as your life. So while Jaws ran, and Rory Parker sat on a boat in the channel, he sent a series of clips from his wife’s cellphone (Rory lives in 1976 and refuses to give into such frivolous modern conveniences) featuring a few spills and the water patrols’ continuous attempts to defeat a small hovering blackbird. The fact that this was a priority while the 2017’s most dangerous surf contest was taking place is laughable. Without further ado, bring in the chopper!

Video and Gallery

Click here to watch the video on Vimeo.

What do you think about this incident? Does this one top them all or have you seen crazier situations? Let us know in the comments.

Filmed by Rory Parker’s wife. Edit by Dane Noakes