A shark has apparently been sighted just off the Irish coast days after a swimmer was attacked by a blue shark in Cornwall.
Boat tour company Abhainn Cruises posted images on their social media pages of what appeared to be a basking shark, which they spotted before hurriedly trying to get swimmers back into the boat.
Their post read: "Guess who we encountered at Carrick-a-rede rope bridge today. Clue – he has his own theme tune.
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"We suspect this is a basking shark. Would love any experts to chime in. Unfortunately, this is the best photo as the skipper was busy getting swimmers back onboard."
If their speculation is correct then the shark was likely not too much of a threat – basking sharks are usually gentle creatures, and it isn't uncommon for them to be found in British waters.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Lynn from Abhainn Cruises said: "The shark was spotted yesterday at about 3pm by Skipper Tim Griffin on our Carrickarede Sea Safari while some members of his tour group were finishing a swim in this location. There have been sightings of basking sharks in this location before and they are very passive creatures.
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"Although our skipper didn't get great photos, we have zoomed in and are quite confident from its shape that it is a basking shark. There were probably more in the water at the time too.
"Our skipper is a wildlife safe boat operator accredited by the organisation WiSE so was very aware and careful that the boat and passengers caused no disturbance. He got the swimmers out of the water and caught just two photos before the shark moved away from the area."
While this reported sighting was fortunately uneventful, a UK snorkeler just days ago wasn't so lucky after they suffered a bite on the leg from what they believe was a blue shark.
Posting on its Facebook page, Cornwall marine tourism agency Blue Shark Snorkel Trips said: "As we know, these things can happen when we choose to interact with wild animals in their own environment.
"The last thing we want is to let speculation drive the media into a world of bad press for the sharks, under no fault of their own."
The victim who received the bite is thankfully okay, and even had some positive words to say about her experience.
She said: “I just wanted to say that despite how the trip ended, it was amazing to see such majestic creatures in the wild and I don’t for a second want this freak event to tarnish the reputation of an already persecuted species.
"What was a very scary incident was made so much easier by the kindness and calmness of the people around me."
She added: "We all take these risks when we enter the habitat of a predator and we can never completely predict the reactions of a wild animal."
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