A shark has been filmed cutting through the River Thames. In response to a video of the shocking scene shared on TikTok, people are claiming a new horror movie warned us of it happening.
Charlotte Webb was walking near Hammersmith Bridge, west London on Monday, July 22 when she was stunned to see a fin in the water.
For film buffs, a shark swimming through London is all too similar to the plot of Under Paris which hit Netflix last month. In the film a scientist discovers a giant shark is hunting in France’s River Seine.
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For Charlotte, though, she couldn’t even believe her eyes at first as she and pal Olivia Kaliszewska noticed something unusual.
(Image: Jam Press Vid/ @charlottewebbb)
The 25-year-old said: “I had no idea sharks swam in the Thames. I thought it was fake or a bean bag floating along at first.
“My best friend Olivia said it was definitely not a shark and joked that it was a crocodile. It looked around 5ft which makes it a tope shark according to the comments.
“I absolutely hate sharks so it just confirmed my decision to never go in the sea again. We carried on eating our sweet potato fries and thought it would be funny to upload it online.”
The fin is thought to be that of a tope shark – a critically endangered animal that can grow up to 6ft 3in in length and luckily they’re considered harmless to humans. It is believed that they use the river as a nursery after giving birth.
But Under Paris fans won’t let fact get in the way of fiction.
“Was under Paris really a warning,” one person commented.
Another wrote: “under Paris really did send everyone a warning.”
A third quipped: “Under Paris Movie coming to life.”
“under paris is gonna happen in london lol,” another said and the comments just keep going.
Last year, the Utah-based Ocearch, which has 437 marine animals tracked, claimed that Ireland and Cornwall were perfect for great white sharks in the summer.
(Image: Jam Press Vid/ @charlottewebbb)
With our sea temps often hovering around a cosy 16C, they are prime for the hungry great whites. And what’s more, spots like Cornwall and Ireland are chock-full of seals – top menu items for great whites along with dolphins, turtles, other sharks, and occasionally humans.
Chris Fischer, founder of Ocearch, previously told The Times: “We believe that Mediterranean white sharks should be moving north to feed on seals, like all the other populations we have worked on. We believe they should be moving up past Brest [in Brittany] and Cornwall.”
However, Gavin Naylor, the Director for the Florida Program for Shark Research, isn’t convinced. He told The Mirror: “White sharks likely venture into UK waters from time to time but not into coastal areas with a lot of beach goers. [This is] unlikely to change much into the foreseeable (decadal) future.
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