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Five huge basking sharks spotted swimming yards away from award-winning natural beauty beach in Cornwall as visitors look on

Photographer Rachel Hosken captured stunning images of the gentle giants feeding in the shallow waters from a clifftop overlooking Porthcurno beach

BEACH-GOERS in Cornwall today caught a rare close-up glimpse of enormous basking sharks feeding just yards from the shore.

Five of the giant fish were spotted off Porthcurno beach, an award-winning beauty spot known for its clear turquoise waters.

Stunning sight ... Visitors to Porthcurno beach in Cornwall spotted five basking sharks feeding near the shore
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Stunning sight ... Visitors to Porthcurno beach in Cornwall spotted five basking sharks feeding near the shore

One of the sharks, which measures 21ft long, was feeding a few feet away from visitors to the beach.

Photographer Rachael Hosken spotted the group from her vantage point at the Minack Theatre, which is perched on cliffs overlooking the beach.

Her stunning pictures show visitors and lifeguards watching as the graceful fish glide through the nearby water.

Photographer Rachael Hosken was able to spot the majestic fish from the nearby Minack Theatre which looks down onto Porthcurno beach
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Photographer Rachael Hosken was able to spot the majestic fish from the nearby Minack Theatre which looks down onto Porthcurno beach
Basking sharks are gentle giants, feeding on tiny animals in the water and posing no threat to humans
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Basking sharks are gentle giants, feeding on tiny animals in the water and posing no threat to humans

She told Mail Online : "It was stunning - really exciting to see. There were some people on the beach who had a close up view.

"They didn't bother the sharks though. It's fantastic to see them again."

Basking sharks are the largest fish found in British waters, reaching up to 26ft in length.

They feed on plankton through their huge mouths, and pose no threat to humans.

They often swim close to the surface while feeding, and so appear to be "basking" in the summer sunlight.

Basking sharks get their name from their tendency to swim close to the surface while feeding in summer, as though they are basking in the sun
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Basking sharks get their name from their tendency to swim close to the surface while feeding in summer, as though they are basking in the sun
In total five basking sharks were spotted near Porthcurno, with Hosken excited to see them returning to our shores
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In total five basking sharks were spotted near Porthcurno, with Hosken excited to see them returning to our shores

They migrate to the UK every summer, appearing most in "hotspot" areas like south west England, the Isle of Man, and the Hebrides islands in Scotland.

Despite a long-standing ban on fishing of basking sharks, the slow-growing species is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List.

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