A sailor was given the shock of his life when he spotted a massive shark in the shallow waters of the Bristol Channel as he made his way back to a popular beach harbour. Alex Brace, a member of a sailing club in Tenby, was out for a routine sail with his friend on Wednesday evening when, at around 8pm, they spotted something in the shallows.
As they were arriving back to dock the boat near the town's North Beach, they spotted something which they believed was too big to be a catfish - and not the right shape to be a dolphin, WalesOnline reports. They soon realised they had just encountered a shark.
Alex, who lives in Tenby and runs Alex Brace Bike Mechanic in Saundersfoot, said: "We had just come back in and we were ankle deep in water when we spotted it. My friend was standing behind me and we could just see these fins in the water, and a couple of seconds later we realised it was a shark.
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“It was near us for a good two or three minutes and then it started heading off towards Saundersfoot. The distance between its fins must have been around five or six feet in length, so it must have been about 12 feet long in total.
"I’ve spoken to a few people and shown them the video and they said it was most likely a basking shark, given the way it was moving.”
The basking shark is known as the 'gentle giant' of the sea and is actually the largest shark in UK oceans, with adults typically measuring between 25 and 29 feet (between seven and eight metres) long. It is the second largest shark in the world after the whale shark and they do not attack humans, instead feasting on aquatic microorganisms called zooplankton.
According to the Natural History Museum they can be found in British waters between May and October and migrate as far as South Africa in winter. While they can be spotted in parts of southern England, the west coast of Scotland, and Wales, sightings like the one witnessed in Tenby remain quite rare.
Alex went on to say: "That's the first one I've seen. We do see porpoises and seals but generally not sharks.
"I’ve spoken to some of the other people who sail on boats around here, and they said seeing one is rare. It was probably in water no more than waist deep. It was quite incredible really.”
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