The monster 12 metre shark was spotted off the coast of Marbella, in Spain’s Costa del Sol, as one spotted said it was the first time they had seen such a sighting in 35 years
Incredible video footage has captured the moment a huge 12-metre shark was spotted off the coast of a Spanish holiday hotspot popular with Brits. The giant animal was spotted lurking in the waters just off the coast of Marbella on Spain’s Costa del Sol.
The animal was identified as a basking shark, which can grow up to 12m long and weigh up to six tonnes. Footage of the incredible encounter was shared by Aqua Time Marbella, a water sports club, on their Instagram page. They shared the video with the caption: “Basking shark sighting off the coast of Marbella. Never in our 35-year history have we seen anything like it!”
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The video shows the giant animal’s fins poking above the water as it glides past the camera, appearing completely uninterested in the people just feet away. Just the fin above the water is visible at first, but as the shark moves past thr group, its incredible size can be seen under the water’s surface.
It slowly and gracefully swims past, leaving those lucky enough to catch a glimpse in awe at its sheer size.The video has racked up 12,000 likes as people flooded the comments section – while many were concerned about such a giant shark being so close to the people, others reassured them that the basking shark is harmless.
While they can grow to the size of a double-decker bus, basking sharks eat tiny plankton, not people. As they move through the water, they open their cavernous mouth wide, allowing around two million litres of water an hour to filter through its gills while plankton become trapped in gill rakers, allowing the huge creatures to eat their fill.
Basking sharks are common across European waters, and have even been seen around the UK coastline. They can be spotted off the British coast between May and October before migrating south, as far as North Africa, during the winter months – though some animals do remain in British and Irish waters, according to the Natural History Museum.
While basking sharks populate coastal waters around Britain, they are most frequently spotted around Cornwall, western Scotland, the Isle of Man and in the western English Channel. During the summer months, basking sharks spend most of their time at the water’s surface, moving slowly – hence the name ‘basking shark’ as they appear to bask in the sunlight.
They are usually solitary animals, but sometimes they have been seen swimming in single-sex groups, generally no bigger than a few individuals. However, despite having a widespread population, up close sightings of the majestic animals are relatively rare.
Basking sharks can be spotted by their large, dark, triangular dorsal fin which moves slowly through the water. The best chances of seeing one are on a sunny day, when the plankton will be most abundant on the water’s surface.
There is still a lot of unknown information about basking sharks, including their mating habits, and numbers are decreasing, with the species listed as endangered. In order to protect the gentle giants, the Shark Trust created a basking shark code of conduct, which helps reduce the risk of injuring or harassing the enormous creatures.
Despite being harmless, the public is warned not to appraoch within 100m if you do spot a basking shark, as they are a legally protected species. It is illegal to intentionally kill, injure, recklessly disturb or harass basking sharks in British waters – and those who do can face up to six months in prison and a fine.