Fisherman John McGloin and his pal Joao Rosa were speechless after having a close encounter with what appeared to be a deadly shark – which they caught on video
Ireland: Large shark spotted swimming off the coast of Galway
A fisherman has captured a spine-tingling video of what seems to be an infamously dangerous shark basking in the waters off the Irish coast.
John McGloin, the man behind the camera, was out at sea near Connemara in Galway with pal Joao Rosa when they had a close encounter with what appeared to be a Great White Shark. The deadly creature hung around their boat for several minutes before vanishing into deep waters, leaving the pair utterly speechless.
Great White Sharks are known to inhabit nearly all coastal and offshore waters with warmer temperatures ranging from 12 to 24 degrees, but Irish waters only reach the lower end of this spectrum during summer months. Some experts have suggested that as the Atlantic Ocean heats up due to climate change, sharks may be moving their habitats further north.
Recounting the incredible experience to Galway Beo, McGloin said: “Me and my friend were out fishing and one guy had a fish on when they spotted a fin coming their direction. He took out his phone straight away to try and record.”
“He said that there is no doubt that it is a Great White Shark with about 3 meters in length. The shark was very curious, circling around the boat for a couple minutes until it disappeared. It wasn’t far from the coast and my friend has spotted a few fins in the last few days around the Galway area, mostly in between Spiddal and the Aran Islands. So this is a warning to all the swimmers,” he warned.
Despite their portrayal in the film Jaws and other popular culture as ferocious human predators, Great Whites don’t actually prefer humans as prey. They are accountable for the highest number of unprovoked shark attacks on humans, but these incidents are rare, with usually less than ten happening worldwide each year.
While the shark in the video doesn’t appear particularly white, the ‘white’ in ‘Great White’ refers to the underside of the shark, which is not visible in this footage. Male Great Whites typically measure between 3.4 to 4.0 metres (11 to 13 ft) in length, while females are larger, measuring between 4.6 to 4.9 metres (15 to 16 ft).
It’s estimated that the lifespan of a Great White shark can be up to 70 years or more.
