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SHARK SHOCK
I was stunned when I spotted a 4ft shark on popular UK beach – my heart was pounding but I knew what I had to do
A HERO dad had the shock of his life when he had to wrestle a 4ft shark back to the sea after stumbling across it at a popular beach resort.
Kyle Newman, 29, was walking his dog Roxy while holidaying in Blackpool, Lancs, when he noticed his pet pooch sniffing something in the sand.
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He wandered over to take a closer look and was stunned to see a shark stuck on the beach.
Quick-thinking Kyle - who could see it was struggling to breathe - grabbed the beast by the tail and managed to drag it 20ft back to the sea.
He said: “I couldn’t believe it. I was having a lovely evening walk by myself and then got the shock of my life.
“It’s not what you expect to come across when you’re on holiday.
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“I could see it needed to get back to the water quickly so I didn’t really think about my safety.
“My heart was pounding. It was really heavy too and took some dragging to get the shark back to the water.
“It was in quite a bad way and the seagulls had pecked one of its eyes out. I hope it survived.”
Kyle, of Manchester, had been on a two-day trip with his partner and sons Freddie, three, and Kyle, one, when he made the shocking find on Wednesday evening.
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It has since been identified as a smoothhound shark.
He added: “Luckily my family were back at the apartment so I didn’t have to worry about them. It certainly made the trip eventful!”
Kyle, who works as a maintenance officer for student accommodation, had been throwing sticks for his dog when the Staffy cross started sniffing around something in between Blackpool’s two famous piers.
My heart was pounding. It was really heavy too and took some dragging to get the shark back to the water.
He said: “I walked over and knew instantly it was a shark.
“I took my coat off and used the sleeve to grab it by the tail.
“It was in very shallow water, which was allowing it to breathe a little bit but I could see it was struggling.
“My feet were sinking into the sand too so I had to be quick.
“My partner couldn’t believe it when I told her what had happened.”
Smoothhound sharks can grow over five feet long and there have been no reported attacks on humans.
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Smoothound shark
Smoothhound are a shallow water shark species.
They live in relatively shallow water and are seldom found in water more than one hundred metres deep.
Once a species predominantly found to the south and west of the British Isles, the range of smoothhound has been increasing – and are now more frequntly seen in the east of England, Cumbria, Yorkshire and the North East.
A smoothhound can grow to 159 cm (5 ft. 3 in.) long and weigh more than 13 kg.
They are found in the waters off the coast of Northern Europe and South Africa including in the Mediterranean Sea.
Ali Hood, director of conservation at Shark Trust charity, said: “Smoothhound sharks are found all round the UK coast and are often seen swimming in coastal waters, reported on occasion swimming in harbours or marinas.”
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