Fisherman stunned as 14ft SHARK swims up to boat off the coast of Wales

A FISHERMAN was stunned when a whopping 14ft shark swam up to his boat off the Welsh coast.

Alex Nel, 32, began filming on his phone when he saw a fin poking through the water and heading towards his boat.

He can be heard saying: "What the f**k is that?" Before adding: "It's a f**king shark."

Dairy farmer Alex was on the fishing trip off Strumble Head in Cardigan Bay, Pembrokeshire, which is renowned for its rich marine life when he came across the giant fish on Saturday.

He estimated that the shark was around two feet shorter than the 16ft boat he was on.

He later wrote online: "Sorry about the language, I was a little surprised to see a basking just casually swimming across the surface of the sea."

Despite the scare, the shark is believed to be a harmless Basking Shark which feed off plankton and are found in UK waters throughout the summer.

The Wildlife Trust describes the species as a "gentle giant" and says they can grow up to 12metres (36ft) in length.

The sighting comes after a huge 12ft shark was spotted in ankle deep water off the coast of Tenby, Pembrokeshire, earlier this month.

Alex Brace was at sea with a mate when they spotted the beast lurking off the shore of the popular beach.

Alex said: “We had just come back in and we were in ankle-deep 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.

“It was near us for a good two or three minutes and then it started heading off towards Saundersfoot.”

Basking sharks are the second-largest species of fish, after whale sharks.

The largest measured was caught in Canada in 1851, weighing 16 tons at 40.3ft (12.27m) long.

Specimens longer than 33ft are rarely seen these days because over-fishing has reduced their numbers.

Basking sharks have enormous mouths more than three feet wide, with jaws that stretch open as they feed in shallow waters close to shore.

Basking sharks are among the most commonly seen of the UK's 40 shark species.

That is partly because they are so large and also because they often go close to shore, almost to the surf line.

They follow plankton on sea currents, which means they often feed at the surface.

Terrifying footage taken off the shores of Keem Bay on County Mayo's Achill Island shows two huge sharks stalking the shallows of a popular beach.

Another was caught swimming marina in Torquay, Devon, giving a group of learner paddleboarders a fright.