Dramatic moment blue shark lunges at boat one mile off Cornish coast
With more and more sharks sighted near the coast, we come face to jaws with the blue sharks that have been making the journey to our shores all the way from the Med
THE SUN braved the waters off the Cornish coast yesterday and met hungry man-eating sharks.
We set off from Penzance Harbour, where 20 blue sharks had been spotted just last week near to the shore, with experts believing they are getting closer to land due to the recent hot weather.
And a second Sun boat left Yacht Haven Quay in Plymouth and motored out through Plymouth Sound, where a Killer Whale was spotted last week, and into the English Channel.
Around two hours after leaving Penzance with MJ Marine Charters and skipper Neil MacDonald, 60, who regularly arranges shark watching and fishing trips off The Celtic Fox angling boat, a fin appeared in the distance after smelling the rotten mackerel and fish guts which had been hung over the side of the boat.
Within seconds of the first sighting and just over a mile away from oblivious swimmers on the Cornish coast, the 8ft Blue Shark emerged from the water and took a chunk out of the treats left for him.
The incredible power of the shark was seen when one of its teeth became caught in the net and with a few quick thrashes, it ripped the netting apart and released the food.
The second boat took just two hours to spot a dorsal fin cutting through the water before it showed itself to be yet another blue shark.
The first mate, wizened professional diver and former Marine commando Ray Ives, 82, said "She's a beaut.”
Local fishermen and workers offering day trips have said 2018 has seen an increase in the animals swimming closer to the shore, possibly caused by the country-wide heatwave which can help food to rise to the top of the water, making it easier for locals to spot a shark.
Researchers suggest that rising sea temperatures are to blame. The recent study to celebrate Sharkfest on Nat Geo WILD looked at the overall shark numbers around Britain.
It predicts that with the rise of sea temperatures and the impact of climate change we could see non-indigenous species of sharks from the Mediterranean making their way to the British coastline by 2050.
The new Shark Map of Britain estimates that there may be currently more than 10 million small sharks and 100,000 larger sharks in British waters, as well as some 40 different species, including thresher, basking and nursehound sharks.
Fisherman Jon Denis, 37, added: “This year, I’ve seen around ten Basking sharks, it would be unusual but not impossible to see a blue shark near to shore.
“To find blue sharks and other species’ you have to take a boat out, they would be around ten to 20 miles away from the shore, but even so there would be no guarantee of seeing them unless you use bait.
“Here, some fishermen do go out daily, either doing tours or simply to catch and release them and have pictures with them, possibly even tag some.
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“They’ve definitely increased this year, from 2005 to 2010 we had a huge amount around Penzance and again in 2013, the past six years have dried up but hopefully this year is the start of many more returning to Cornwall.”
Cornwall has been named as the UK’s current shark capital with at least 20 species found off the coast, followed by the Scilly Isles and Devon.
Last week swimmers were ordered to stay out of the water after a massive 9ft shark lurked just inches from St Ives harbour in Cornwall.
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