A couple of blokes out sailing off the coast of Wales managed to capture the moment a huge shark came up and swam alongside them as they returned to the harbour. Check it out:
Experienced sailor Alex Brace was out on the waters near Tenby with a pal last Wednesday for a routine evening out on the boat.
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However, at around 8:00pm - as they were heading back to land near North Beach - they spied a large animal swimming in the shallow water.
Alex and his mate quickly decided the creature looked too big to be a catfish and didn’t think it looked much like a dolphin, before it dawned on them that they were actually looking at a huge basking shark.
Alex, who regularly spends time in the waters in and around Tenby, told Wales Online: “We had just come back in and we were in ankle-deep water when we spotted it.
“My friend was standing behind me and we could just see these fins in the water, and a couple of seconds later we realised it was a shark.
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“It was near us for a good two or three minutes and then it started heading off towards Saundersfoot. The distance between its fins must have been around five or six feet in length, so it must have been about 12 feet long in total. I’ve spoken to a few people and shown them the video and they said it was most likely a basking shark, given the way it was moving.”
Basking sharks are the largest breed of sharks found in UK waters, with adults usually measuring between seven and eight metres long (25ft to 29ft).
Although they might look a bit scary to anyone who is familiar with the movie Jaws, basking sharks don’t attack humans and live off zooplankton - a microorganism found in the sea.
If you fancy seeing one for yourself, basking sharks have previously been spotted in the sea across parts of southern England as well as the west coasts of Wales and Scotland.
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However, they’re not generally spotted in Tenby - in fact, despite routinely spending time in the area, Alex said this is the first sighting of a basking shark that he’s made.
He said: “That’s the first one I’ve seen. We do see porpoises and seals but generally not sharks. I’ve spoken to some of the other people who sail on boats around here, and they said seeing one is rare. It was probably in water no more than waist deep. It was quite incredible really.”
Claire Reid