A TOURIST has spotted a “massive” shark swimming around a harbor during high tide in Cornwall.
Olga Bates, 46, was visiting the popular seaside town of St Ives with family when they spotted the big fish near a collection of boats.
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They snapped a photo of the beast at 6:26 a.m. on March 23 as they strolled along the coast.
Experts have identified it as one basking sharkwhich can grow up to 45 feet tall.
The species is the second largest type sharkbehind the whale shark, and eat by swimming with their huge mouths wide open to catch plankton as they filter water through their gills.
Olga, who visited the city from Knighton, Walesexplained that her attention had been caught by a group stamps that was “hiding” from the huge creature.
She said: “We’ve been very lucky.
“We woke up so early to see the sunrise and saw seals hiding under the bridge and then we saw what they were hiding from – the shark.
“It was amazing to see and it was so close to the beach. I was a great surprise for us, we have never seen one so close.
“We enjoyed the view and the sun, we were blown away.”
She added that the shark was about 10 feet long and taller than some of the boats it passed as it circled the harbor.
The family stayed and watched it swim until the tide started to recede and it disappeared.
An ecstatic Olga continued: “It was amazing to see it up close, I was so lucky and my grandson was very excited.”
The Wildlife Trust describes sunbathing shark as a “gentle giant” and are not commonly known to be aggressive towards humans.
However, the Trust advises anyone who encounters a basking shark in the water to give it plenty of room, as its sheer size can make it dangerous.
The Trust’s website states: “Remember that sharks can be unpredictable.
“If swim with the sharksstay in a group and stay at least 4 meters away from each shark.
“You must never touch the shark.”
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