Closer to home
Did you know that more than 40 species of shark are found off the British coast?
Steve says: “A lot of people, even biologists, may not realise quite how many species of shark we have in our seas. I’m a shark fanatic and I didn’t realise that we’d had scalloped hammerheads coming through our waters or Greenland sharks washed up on our shores.
“My favourite shark encounter last year was with blue sharks off the coast of Cornwall. It took the best part of 45 minutes before they showed up, but we then had up to 20 individuals, the biggest of which was 2.5-3m in length, literally nose-to-nose with me. And that’s off the coast of Penzance!
“There are also fledgling industries offering dives off the Pembroke coast, and I’ve had tope, smooth hound and lesser-spotted catsharks right in front of me.
“We did a remarkable dive in a Scottish sea loch, not far from Oban, looking for gigantic flapper skate. We didn’t find them, but we did find a nursery of their mermaids’ purses, and they’re huge! Holding them up to the light and seeing that tiny, wriggling silhouette of a critically endangered species, in a Scottish sea loch, surrounded by all these bizarre anemones, brittlestars and other weird and wonderful things, was one of the most unexpected dives I’ve ever had.
“If you’re looking for basking sharks, there are pretty stringent rules about how you are allowed to interact with them. You can snorkel and sit on a kayak or surfboard at the surface, and a basking shark might swim right past you, but you shouldn’t power towards it as it will disappear, and you’ve potentially interrupted its feeding strategy or influenced its courtship. Plus, you might have ruined the experience for someone else hoping to see that basking shark!
Acting with respect is incredibly important but, at the same time, I think that a proper interaction with British sharks is something that can be beneficial. A lot of people wouldn’t even realise that you could see sharks in our waters, but you can, and it can be absolutely spectacular if done right.”