Tourist spots ‘huge’ shark swimming in harbour during high tide in Cornwall

A TOURIST has spotted a “huge” shark swimming around a harbour during high tide in Cornwall.

Olga Bates, 46, was visiting popular seaside resort St Ives with family when they caught sight of the sizeable fish near a collection of boats.

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They snapped a photo of the beast at 6.26am on March 23 as they strolled along the seafront.

Experts have identified it as a basking shark, which can grow up to 45 feet long.

The species is the second-largest type of shark, behind the whale shark, and eat by swimming with their huge mouths gaping open to catch plankton as they filter water through their gills.

Olga, who was visiting the town from Knighton, Wales, explained that her attention had been caught by a group of seals that was “hiding” from the vast creature.

She said: “We were very lucky.

“We woke up so early to watch the sunrise and spotted 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 an amazing surprise for us, we have never seen one that close before.

“We were enjoying the views and the sunshine, we were overwhelmed.”

She added that the shark was about 10 feet long and was larger than some of the boats it passed as it circled the harbour.

The family stayed and watched it swim until the tide began to go out and it vanished.

An ecstatic Olga went on: “It was amazing to see it so close, I was so lucky and my grandson was very excited.”

The Wildlife Trust describes the basking shark as a “gentle giant” and they 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 space as its sheer size can make it dangerous.

The Trust’s website states: “Remember that sharks can be unpredictable.

“If swimming with the sharks, stay in a group and remain at least 4m from each shark.

“You should never touch the shark.”

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