Shark sighting in UK waters sparks sea rescue team to issue no swimming warning

Shark sighting in UK waters sparks sea rescue team to issue no swimming warning
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Aden-Jay Wood

By Aden-Jay Wood


Published: 25/08/2022

- 16:20

Updated: 25/08/2022

- 16:25

The sea rescue team has urged people to "keep your distance from any marine animals you may see while at the coast"

A shark sighting in UK waters has sparked a sea rescue team to warn people not to enter the sea.

It comes after beachgoers spotted the fin of what they believed to be a shark in the sea off Sunny Sands beach in Folkestone, Kent on Tuesday.


Experts believe the animal that was sighted was in fact a basking shark.

And as a precaution, Folkestone Sea Rescue have urged people to stay out of the water for 24 hours.

A Basking Shark
A Basking Shark
WikiCommons

Sunny Sands beach, Folkestone
Sunny Sands beach, Folkestone
Google Maps

The spokesperson said: "As a precaution, we are advising that people do not swim at these locations for 24 hours.

"Basking sharks are very large fish which feed off plankton, and are not considered dangerous to people or animals.

"Basking sharks have occasionally been seen off the Kent coast over the past few years.

"While the risks are usually low, you should still keep your distance from any marine animals you may see while at the coast, including basking sharks."

It comes just days after a shark warning was issued in Cornwall after a six-foot blue shark was spotted in shallow water in the River Fal between Falmouth and Truro

Experts feared it could be injured or stressed, and should be "given a wide berth".

The shark could be disorientated, which might explain why it found itself in the Cornish river.

Blue sharks are one of several species known to migrate to the west Cornwall coast from the Atlantic in summer.

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