We told you they were coming! Alarm at 9ft blue shark spotted in Cornish harbour
JUST when you thought it was safe to go in the sea in St Ives… a 9ft shark shows up!
The day after experts revealed how 11 new shark species are heading for our shores, families were warned to stay out of the water at the Cornish resort to avoid a massive blue.
However, the advice was likely to be just as much an appeal for the shark’s welfare as an alert to holidaymakers – although they have been known to take a bite out of humans, the blue prefers squid and seabirds.
The sharks can grow to 12ft long and weigh up to 2stone. They will sometimes circle swimmers for up to 15 minutes. They are not timid and after circling may attempt a ‘test bite’.
John Richardson of the Shark Trust said: ‘To see a free-swimming blue shark close to shore like this is a real privilege. We advise people to give it plenty of space until it moves back offshore to its usual habitat.’
It is thought it ended up in the harbour after being injured or lost its bearings chasing prey. Footage of the blue was captured on Monday by Archie Pickin and Harry Hocking, both 16, who were standing on the harbour slipway. Archie said: ‘We heard someone say about a shark and we didn’t believe it at first. It doesn’t exactly happen every day. It was really big.’