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Flying his drone above the clear waters of San Diego, California photographer Scott Fairchild saw a sight that would stop most in their tracks; a large great white shark was circling a young child on his board.

The pair regarded each other with curiosity before the shark swam away.

This peaceful encounter, filmed several days ago at Del Mar, is one of many Mr Fairchild has filmed over the past month.

READ MORE: Qantas to restart international flights earlier than expected

He told 9news.com.au the shark was almost the size of a full grown man.

"All juveniles they're normally five to nine feet (1.5 metres to 2.4 metres)," he said.

"I'm guessing the shark was at the higher end of that, but I don't know for sure.

"It was pretty amazing to see this huge great white with the kid."

READ MORE: Hordes of sharks found living in volcano

He said sightings of great white sharks are becoming more common in San Diego.

Just yesterday he filmed another smaller great white shark gliding out of a swimmer's way.

And at the start of the month he filmed a large great white shark preying on a smaller one.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CU715Qxpjca/

"They are definitely an ever-increasing population here," he said.

"I can find two – ten any time I want now at this time of the year."

Why great white populations are booming in California

Director of the Shark Lab at California State University Chris Lowe has been studying the state's shark populations for decades.

He told 9news.com.au great whites are thriving.

The reason why can be traced, in part, back to 1972, when Californian sea lions and Pacific harbour seals became federally protected animals.

"The recovery of marine mammals has been vital," Dr Lowe said.

"That's been the long-lived one because they were over-hunted for more than 100 years".

Then in 1994 two things happened that caused the population to skyrocket.

"Great whites became protected and the use of gill nets were banned," Dr Lowe said.

"Their biggest population growth has been since the 90s.

"(But) that recovery of the food source has been critical."

Dr Lowe said with these protections the southern California coast has become a "primary nursery" for white sharks.

"The adults are offshore and mostly seasonal," he said.

"The juveniles are also seasonal but right off our beaches.

"Nursery habitats are beaches."

He said a positive trend is also being observed on the other side of the US.

"It's not just California – New England is seeing similar signs on the east coast in the Atlantic," he said.

Contact Raffaella at rc*********@******om.au.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern managed to keep her cool as an earthquake rattled the North Island this morning.

Ms Ardern was listening to a question asked by a journalist when the building that housed them started shaking.

The politician grabbed her podium and looked to the side quickly, before turning around with a smile.

READ MORE: Qantas to restart international flights earlier than expected

"Sorry, a slight distraction," Ms Ardern said.

"Would you mind repeating the question?"

The US Geological Survey (USGS) confirmed a magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck 33 kilometres near Taumarunui on the North Island around 8:58 am.

New Zealand is no stranger to earthquakes as it's located on the edge of The Ring of Fire; a geographical area characterised by active volcanoes and frequent earthquakes.

In May 2020, a 5.9 earthquake struck near New Zealand's capital Wellington – again interrupting Ms Ardern mid-interview.