'You are paddleboarding next to 15 great white sharks,' beachgoers warned

Beachgoers in Orange County, California, were warned from a helicopter that a large number of great white sharks were swimming in the area.

Orange Country Sherriff's Department screengrab. Source: Orange Country Sherriff's Department

Orange County Sheriff Deputy Brian Stockbridge didn't mince his words when he warned swimmers at Capistrano Beach about shark sightings from a county helicopter.

"You are paddleboarding next to approximately 15 great white sharks," he said. 

"[State parks] are advising that you exit the water in a calm manner. The sharks are as close as the surf-line. Thank you for your cooperation."

Footage from the chopper, released by the Sheriff Department's Facebook page, shows numerous large sharks swimming close to Californian beach. 

Other footage shows shark fins breaking the water, with deeper animals harder to see. An operator can be heard estimating the size of the animals as 3 meters.

Other groups of sharks were also spotted offshore the same day, with beachgoers warned they would be swimming at their own risk.

A number of sharks have been spotted in the area in recent weeks, with one YouTube video showing a shark jumping into the air just meters away from a group of swimmers.