Swimmers rush INTO the sea...to take a closer look at a 16ft shark

 

By LUKE SALKELD - More by this author » Last updated at 22:00pm on 10th June 2007 Comments (4)

They have both become regular visitors to the sandy shores of Cornwall.

And it seems there is plenty of room for beach-goers and sharks alike.

The days when a shark sighting sent bathers racing up the beach in fear seem to be long gone. Indeed, this 16ft basking shark was as much of an attraction as the sunshine.

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Close encounter: Two men in wetsuits take a more in-depth look at the creature

 

Swimmers and surfers piled into the sea to try to get a closer look at the creature.

They are well aware that the sharks represent no danger to humans since they eat nothing bigger than plankton.

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Shark ahoy! Swimmers and surfers head out to inspect the Porthcurno basking shark

 

The picture was taken on Saturday by photographer Rachel Hosken from cliffs above the beach at Porthcurno, near Land’s End.

"In the last few days they have been swimming up to the beach," she said. "The water is so clear that it is just beautiful to watch them. Despite their size they are very graceful indeed."

She added: "The lifeguard was nearby so he would have told people to move away if they had come too close.

"Everyone has got used to them swimming near the beach but it is still exciting when they appear."

Basking sharks, the second-largest fish in the world after the whale shark, are the biggest wild animal to visit Britain regularly, growing up to 36ft and seven tons.

Although they are not aggressive, their huge size means they could do serious damage to any swimmer who got too close.

David Ball, head of the Silver Dolphin Conservation and Diving Centre in Penzance, said after a recent visit by another basking shark: "They are docile, but you have to be careful because they are such massive creatures. Often they don’t even know you are there in the water with them and they can hit you with their tail accidentally."

Lifeguard Stefan Harkon said: "Basking sharks are harmless but we try to keep people away from them because they are a protected species in Britain."

Elsewhere they are killed in large numbers for their liver oil, meat and cartilage. In Asia they are used to make shark-fin soup – a single large fin can be worth £5,000.

Despite their bulk, they can leap clear of the water. They filter the equivalent of an Olympic swimming pool every hour to take in enough plankton.

They swim, at no more than 3mph, by moving their entire bodies from side to side, not just their tails like other sharks.

Over the weekend thousands flocked to beaches as most parts of the country enjoyed temperatures of up to 77f (25c).

But the hot weather led to the death of a 17-year- old who drowned as he cooled off in the River Lune, at Halton, near Lancaster, on Saturday afternoon.

He was swimming in the waterway, which is known for its strong currents, with a group of friends when he got into difficulty.

people are stupid like that

 

they did exactly the same when it was on the news that a bear had returned to switzerland. people even travelled to that village and waited for hours so they could take a closer look at it.

people are stupid like that

 

they did exactly the same when it was on the news that a bear had returned to switzerland. people even travelled to that village and waited for hours so they could take a closer look at it.

 

And was anybody attacked by it?

And was anybody attacked by it?

 

no, nothing happened

ah you mean Bruno, Sally?

 

Or, wait, he was in Austria, right?

dont remember its name tbh

 

the bear didnt stay in switzerland for long so he might have been seen in austria as well

I guess it was him....he went to Bavaria and then to Austria and Switzerland I think.,..it was pretty huge in the german news-.-

He was last seen boarding a plane for Brazil.................... :rolleyes:

haha...but only if he's still alive...didn't they shoot him?

Damn those Brazilians!:stunned:

No...the germans, or the austrians or the swiss?

 

well or maybe even the brazilians....:thinking: