Originally Posted by
MechEngr
No shadow of helicopter on ocean/shallows; lack of exhaust heat distortion/shimmer that would be nearly head on; given the use of a wide-angle lens for the copter to appear that large it would be within a few feet, but the "drone" is unperturbed by what should be a violent downwash flow.
-and -
The helicopter company would have taken 30 minutes or less for a news agency and the FAA to identify, followed by at least trying to interview the pilot or go to the owner.
It is possible the helicopter is extracted from a flight simulator and is composited with real footage from an over-height flight, but I remain confident this encounter didn't happen.
There is a shadow in the shallows in front and to the right of the approaching helicopter. However it just highlights that the moving parts of the video appear "jerky" at this point and not smooth, while the camera seems to be able to pan smoothly at the same time.