A photo shared on social media showed what appeared to be a basking shark cruising slowly between Barmouth and Tywyn in Gwynedd in Wales – a fin could be seen breaking through the water
Britain’s largest fish was spotted along the coast over the bank holiday weekend, fascinating visitors and locals.
A photo shared on social media showed what appeared to be a basking shark cruising slowly between Barmouth and Tywyn in Gwynedd in Wales. The image showed only a triangular dorsal fin breaking through the choppy waters of Cardigan Bay. However, this was enough for an expert to identify the creature as a basking shark.
Despite being harmless, these creatures can reach the size of a bus, causing some spectators to err on the side of caution. One woman, who was walking her dog along Tywyn beach when she spotted the shark, told NorthWalesLive: “It stayed around for a while, then disappeared out to sea.” She added: “Might have overreacted but I fetched my dog out of the water.”
An angler fishing at Tonfanau, just north of Tywyn, had a closer encounter. He said: “It was a basking shark that came down the coast from Barmouth. I was fishing literally 200m from it. They are about this time of year, and it’s a sign that the waters are healthy with plankton.”
The shark made another appearance around mid-day on the bank holiday Monday near Fairbourne. It was later seen idling in the water at the southern end of Tywyn. Basking sharks have been spotted in various locations across British coastal waters. These gentle giants are most commonly sighted around southwest England, Wales, and particularly the west coast of Scotland.
Another popular gathering spot for these creatures is the stretch between Anglesey and the Isle of Man, where currents carry an abundance of plankton, their primary food source.
This year has proven to be particularly fruitful for shark sightings in Cardigan Bay. A basking shark was reported just offshore at Abersoch, with another sighting further west along the Pen Llyn coast.
While such encounters can initially spark fears of a shark scare, it’s usually the harmless basking sharks that are involved. Frankie Hobro, owner and director of Anglesey Sea Zoo, anticipates more sightings in the coming weeks. “They are likely to be around for another month or so yet,” she said, attributing their presence to warm sea temperatures and plentiful plankton blooms. Notably, both Pen Llyn sightings were of juvenile sharks.
Determining the size and age of the most recently spotted shark is challenging, but it’s known that younger basking sharks often venture closer to shore.
Although they’re not an uncommon sight for sea fishermen in UK waters, it’s rare to see one quite so close to the shoreline. These slow, solitary swimmers either remain in British waters all year round or migrate long distances. There’s even evidence of them crossing the Atlantic as far away as Brazil.
Adult basking sharks typically reach 28ft in length, roughly the same size as a London bus, with some growing even larger. In an awe-inspiring display of nature’s grandeur, the world’s second-largest fish, outdone only by the whale shark, has been spotted. These magnificent creatures can open their mouths up to a metre wide in their quest for plankton.
Adding to the spectacle, a thresher shark was captured on camera this month in Cardigan Bay, making a breathtaking leap from the waters off New Quay, Ceredigion.
These sightings, along with others, indicate a thriving marine ecosystem. This is further evidenced by the mass strandings of whitebait reported along the west Wales coast in recent weeks. In a particularly memorable incident, a paddleboarder at Abersoch Beach found himself unexpectedly showered by these small fish.
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