Drone News Roundup: Drone Footage of Bizarre Lake Vortex in California, SkyPixel’s 10th Annual Contest Winners, and More!

This week we’re covering drone footage of a strange vortex in the waters of a California lake.

We’re also covering the winners of SkyPixel’s 10th anniversary contest, a drone shot of a gigantic iceberg dwarfing a ship in the Southern Ocean, and a new drone made for super-early fire detection.

Now on to the links!

Drone Footage of Bizarre Vortex in California Lake

Can you imagine if you were driving by and saw this perfect hole in the water, as if a portal to another world had just opened up? After an atmospheric river drenched California last month, a drone captured this mesmerizing footage of Lake Berryessa’s Glory Hole spillway fully activated. This rare phenomenon occurs when the reservoir exceeds 440 feet, creating a swirling vortex as water drains into the 72-foot-wide spillway. The footage showcases the engineering marvel in action, funneling excess water into Putah Creek below Monticello Dam.

LEARN MORE

SkyPixel’s Overall Best Drone Video Winner

SkyPixel recently announced the winners of its 10th anniversary Photo & Video Contest, which attracted nearly 140,000 entries worldwide. The Best Aerial Video award went to Bashir Abu Shakra for the video shown above, called “The War – My Transformation Journey.” Filmed over five years across eight countries using the DJI Mavic 3 Pro and other drones, the video blends sweeping landscapes with a deeply personal narrative of overcoming loneliness. Judges praised its graceful camera movements and evocative storytelling. The film’s powerful storytelling and technical precision have earned it recognition not only in the SkyPixel contest but also as a runner-up in the AirVuz Drone Video of the Year contest.

LEARN MORE

SkyPixel’s Overall Best Drone Photo Winner

Credit: Gangerqia via SkyPixel

This mesmerizing image created by SkyPixel member Gangerqia is appropriately titled  “Mysterious Realm.” The photo features a red-crowned crane standing on snow and ice, with its landing spot and footprints creating a striking visual pattern. The composition is particularly noteworthy, as it resembles a human eye formed by a frozen pond, blending nature and artistry in a surreal and mysterious way. Judges praised the photo for its simplicity, clean lines, and subtle textures, which evoke a sense of calmness and intrigue.

LEARN MORE

Drone Photo of Immense Iceberg in the South Ocean

Credit: Andrew Miller, Capture North Studios / National Geographic

This stunning drone photo captures a gigantic iceberg called A23A drifting through the Southern Ocean. The aerial vantage point helps showcase just how immense the iceberg is—40 miles across and 1,312 feet thick. Originally calved from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf in 1986, A23A remained grounded in the Weddell Sea for nearly four decades before breaking free in the early 2020s. Photographer Andrew Miller’s drone shot highlights the iceberg’s journey past the Antarctic Peninsula and toward South Georgia Island, offering a rare glimpse into the dynamic interplay between ice, ocean currents, and climate change.

LEARN MORE

New AI Drone Helps Detect Fires Before They Even Start

Credit: Dryad Networks

Dryad Networks recently unveiled Silvaguard, a firefighting drone system designed for ultra-early fire detection and suppression. The system pairs with Dryad’s Silvanet, which detects wildfires at their earliest spark, even before visible flames emerge. Once triggered, the Silvaguard drone autonomously deploys from a solar-powered hangar, providing real-time optical and infrared imagery. Future versions of the drone will not only collect data—they’ll also actively fight the fire with acoustic wave suppression systems, which use targeted sound frequencies to smother fires. By 2030, Dryad hopes to prevent millions of hectares of forest from burning, potentially averting billions of tons of CO₂ emissions.

LEARN MORE

Make sure to sign up for our free weekly newsletter using the button below so you can get our weekly newsletter every Saturday, with this roundup and our other featured stories from the week.