Not long ago, my encounters with basking sharks were pretty close up. When a scientist researching them off the Isle of Man needed help, with my experience of driving inflatable ribs, I was tasked with steering his small boat up to a 10-tonne shark, closely and carefully enough for him to jab a small tracking device into its dorsal fin.
It was hair-raising work – they are solid muscle, capable of smashing our hull. Nevertheless, I guided the boat gently alongside, and the device was placed. Like many others before it, the shark swam off unconcerned.
