Massive shark spotted prowling waters just 30ft off UK holiday hotspot
The shark, believed to have been a porbeagle, was seen circling Southborne beach in Bournemouth for up to 25 minutes a matter of days after its typical feeding season began
A massive shark was spotted prowling the shallow waters of a seaside hotspot, leaving beachgoers in shock as it circled a matter of feet off shore.
Photos captured the large porbeagle, a relative of the great white known to live in waters off the UK's south coast, around 30 feet (just over nine metres) off the coast of Southborne beach in Bournemouth. The predator's fin was seen characteristically protruding above the water's surface as it lingered in the area for around 25 minutes as it fed in shallow waters, where the sharks tend to hunt small fish and shelled sea dwellers before moving on.
Pictures posted from the scene show the dark fin emerging above the clear blue water before it swam onwards without incident, despite having caused a stir. Onlookers suggested the shark was about five feet (1.5 metres) in length.
Porbeagles are one of the most common shark types in the UK, far from the usual breeding grounds of their close relative the great white.
The sharks, which have the scientific name Lamna nasus, are usually seen in the summer months, between June and September, when they venture out for feeding.
They usually search for fish like mackerel, whiting and herring, and other sea dwellers like octopi, squid and cuttlefish, in deep water, meaning the latest sighting was closer to the coast than the sharks would usually venture.
The fish tend to stay away from humans, but have attacked in the past, notably in 2018 when a porbeagle inflicted one of the worst shark attacks in half a century on a Cornish man.
Records obtained by Cornwall Live at the time documented Angler Max Berryman as having suffered horrific leg wounds after a 7ft specimen savaged him around 12 miles off Land's End.
Max Berryman, 21, said the shark bit him after it was pulled aboard his trawler, telling The Sun the attack left blood "everywhere" on the vessel. He said: "It landed on the floor of the boat right next to me and was thrashing around wildly. There was blood everywhere. The shark had bitten straight through my oils, straight through my jeans and into my right leg."
The fisherman added: 'Blood was pouring down my leg and the pain was so intense. I was in absolute agony.'
The May attack was the fourth ever recorded involving a porbeagle injuring a human in history, with the injuries believed to be the worst suffered by a Brit since 1968. A blue shark sunk its teeth into Roy Cloke's arm as the fisherman sailed in waters just off the UK coast in June that year, with the incident described as "unprovoked".
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