Terrifying second shark seems simply yards from Bournemouth beachgoers
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This is the terrifying moment a shark appears just yards away from beachgoers and surfers at a popular British seaside town.
The oceanic predator was spotted by an onlooker on the pier in Bournemouth, Dorset, yesterday.
The large creature could be seen skulking in the murky waters just metres from the town’s shoreline whilst swimmers and beachgoers nearby remained blissfully unaware.
Video footage shot by one witness from the pier shows the dark shape of the shark just below the surface, seemingly holding itself in place as the waves lap over it.
The beach is dotted with dozens of Brits whilst just a stone’s throw from the shark itself, two swimmers can be seen paddling into the waves.
Dozens of Brits can be seen standing just metres away from the shark on Bournemouth beach
What is a tope shark?
The Tope Shark is a large houndshark reaching lengths of nearly 200cm.
They are active and are found from shallow bays to 550m.
They have a long snout and wide mouth and pronounced spiracles behind their small eyes.
In high demand and hunted around the world for their fins, Tope, also known as soupfin sharks, are becoming increasingly threatened
They are currently listed as critically endangered and are a priority species.
There has never been any record of an unprovoked Tope attack on humans.
Likely a terrifying sight at first glance for any beachgoer, swimmers could be excused for wanting to make a quick exit from the water after spotting the predator.
However, after video of the beast was shared online, one marine biologist explained that the creature was most likely a tope shark.
Also known as the school shark, the fish is often found close to the shore all around the UK’s coasts and can grow up to 6 feet long.
There has never been any record of an unprovoked tope shark on humans though, and the animal is currently listed as critically endangered due to being targeted for its live oil, flesh and fins.
The footage of the shark was shared to social media yesterday with the caption: ‘Imagine having an evening swim in Bournemouth and finding yourself metres away from this bad boy.’
The post has since received more than 600 likes and 1,300 shares from social media users left amazed by the sighting.
One user said: ‘I assume I wouldn’t die if I petted it, but how much of my hand would I lose? I know I’m going to die petting something I shouldn’t, but I like to know how stupid I’m being.’
Another joked: ‘I’ve seen Jaws and Jaws 2, so can I just confirm that this is indeed some kind of shark probably.’
A third commented: ‘I was swimming near here this evening completely oblivious.’
Video footage shows the dark shape of the shark just below the surface, seemingly holding itself in place as the waves lap over it
Another wrote: ‘Just about to joke about the UK’s non-existent shark fatality stats, but on reading further, they definitely exist, and they’re bigger than you’d expect.’
Britain boasts 21 species of shark that reside full-time in its seas, whilst a further 40 can be seen throughout the year in different seasons.
Some of these species include the huge basking shark and the Greenland shark – which can live for more than 400 years – but the famous great white is yet to make a move into UK waters.
