4 days ago
Chilling moment 5ft shark's dorsal fin is spotted just 30 feet from one of Britain's most popular beaches
This is the moment a 5-foot-long shark was seen just 30ft from one of Britain's most popular beaches.
The porbeagle shark, a relative of the great white was observed for 25 minutes feeding in the relatively shallow water off Southbourne beach in Bournemouth.
Usually, Porbeagles are seen miles out at sea by fishermen and have little interaction with humans.
It is highly unusual for one to come so close in and it is likely it was following a rich food source.
They normally feed on squid and other cephalopods and one theory is that it could have been lured by the recent mass influx of Mediterranean octopus of the south west coast.
The porbeagle was filmed from the shore by Jonathan Brennan, who is a qualified PADI scuba diver and who has swam with sharks all over the world.
He confidently identified it as a porbeagle after ruling out it being a tope or a basking shark, both commonly seen in south coast waters.
Despite it being seen so close to a popular bathing beach at the start of the summer season, Mr Brennan said its presence was good news.
The 55-year-old said: 'It was lovely to see such a beautiful creature so close in. It is a sign of a healthy ecosystem.
'I thought it was a seal at first and waded into the water to get a closer look. It was probably about 10 yards out,
'It wasn't a tope shark, they tend to dive deeper and are much faster. This kept popping up every couple of minutes whereas a tope wouldn't keep coming to the surface.
'It wasn't a basking shark either as their fins are floppier and wobble from side to side when moving through the water.
'I have seen a couple of thresher sharks before and it wasn't one of those.
'It has a rounded fin which was dark greyish brown colouration with a rounded apex and there appeared to be a lower edge white patch.'
Mr Brennan described the moment the shark's fin in the video saying it 'wasn't in a hurry' and 'it must have been having a good feed'.
'Porbeagles can be attracted by a school of mackerel or squid,' he said.
It is highly unusual for a porbeagle shark to come so close in and it is likely it was following a rich food source
'It was wonderful to see it so close to the shore.
'Yes, porbeagles are a white shark genus but they are very, very different and people don't have anything to worry about.
'They are harmless if they are left alone.
'People should observe them from a distance and not interfere with what they are doing. They are more interested in the fish.'
Along with blue sharks, porbeagles are the most common species of shark found in British waters.
Despite their association with the great white - Carcharodon carcharias in Latin - they are not considered to be a threat to humans with only three recorded non-fatal attacks before.
The porbeagle shark - Lamna nasus in Latin - is classed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as vulnerable in the north east Atlantic.
What is a porbeagle shark and is it dangerous?
Porbeagle sharks come from the family of Lamnidae sharks and can be found in the the North Atlantic Ocean.
They can grow up to 12ft long and weigh up to 600lbs (43-stone)
The shark has been spotted all around the UK in deep waters, usually several miles offshore in the summer time where it hunts mackerel herring and squid.
There have been sightings of the shark off Scotland, Devon and South Shields in recent years.
The porbeagle is also found around the coasts of North Africa, in the Mediterranean and around Australia and New Zealand.
The gigantic shark can reach more than eight-foot in length and can weigh up to 22 stone.
Despite being related to the great white shark the porbeagle is not known to be dangerous.
Aggressive fishing rates and slow population has resulted in the shark numbers dramatically dwindling.
There are three recorded shark attacks involving porbeagles, two involving boats and another which did not result in serious injury.
