Shock as massive ’12ft’ shark spotted in ‘ankle deep’ water just off popular UK beach

A MASSIVE 12ft shark has been spotted in ankle-deep water just off the coast of a popular UK beach.

Alex Brace was at sea with a mate when they spotted the beast lurking off the shore of Tenby, Pembrokeshire, on Wednesday night.

The two sailors were heading back after an evening of sailing at about 8pm when the fin caught their eye.

Alex told : “We had just come back in and we were in ankle-deep water when we spotted it.

“My friend was standing behind me and we could just see these fins in the water, and a couple of seconds later we realised it was a shark.

“It was near us for a good two or three minutes and then it started heading off towards Saundersfoot.

“The distance between its fins must have been around five or six feet in length, so it must have been about 12 feet long in total.

“I’ve spoken to a few people and shown them the video and they said it was most likely a basking shark, given the way it was moving.”

Basking sharks are the second-largest species of fish, after whale sharks.

Grey-brown adults grow to an average of 20-26ft and weigh five tons but they can be much bigger.

The largest measured was caught in Canada in 1851, weighing 16 tons at 40.3ft (12.27m) long.

Specimens longer than 33ft are rarely seen these days because over-fishing has reduced their numbers.

Alex, who runs Alex Brace Bike Mechanic in Saundersfoot, said that it was the first one he had ever seen.

He said: “We do see porpoises and seals but generally not sharks. I’ve spoken to some of the other people who sail on boats around here, and they said seeing one is rare.

“It was probably in water no more than waist deep. It was quite incredible really.”

SPOTTED IN SHALLOWS

Basking sharks have enormous mouths more than three feet wide, with jaws that stretch open as they feed in shallow waters close to shore.

Basking sharks are among the most commonly seen of the UK’s 40 shark species.

That is partly because they are so large and also because they often go close to shore, almost to the surf line.

They follow plankton on sea currents, which means they often feed at the surface.

Terrifying footage taken off the shores of Keem Bay on County Mayo’s Achill Island shows two huge sharks stalking the shallows of a popular beach.

Another was caught swimming marina in Torquay, Devon, giving a group of learner paddleboarders a fright.

In July 2020, one was seen stranded in shallow waters on Filey beach in North Yorkshire on Thursday evening.

Michael Amos, 20, from Penryn, Cornwall, snapped a pair of basking sharks as they swam below the cliffs at Porthcurno, Cornwall, alongside a paddleboarder.