Petrified children swimming in the sea were left paddling away in terror after a 10ft shark was spotted on the Cornish coast.
The juvenile basking shark could clearly be seen gliding through the clear turquoise water at St Ives Harbour, Cornwall.
In a scene reminiscent to Jaws, a group of around 30 youngsters panicked and fled the water when they saw the shark’s dorsal mere waves away.
However, unbeknownst to the children, despite the sea creature’s size it is completely harmless to humans
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As the world’s second largest fish – after whale sharks – basking sharks can be terrifying at first glance with their huge mouth and thousand of tiny hooked teeth.
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Terrified children swimming in the sea on the coast of St Ives, Cornwall were left paddling away in terror after a 10ft shark (pictured) was spotted
However unbeknownst to the youngsters the large sea creature was a basking shark and is completely harmless to humans
But according to the National Geographic they have no interest on in tearing through human flesh. Typically a placid shark, as this fish loves nothing more than to munch on tiny organisms such as zooplankton.
The young specimen had swam next to a harbour wall and beach where the young children and teenagers were having a dip at 9pm last night.
Although Andy Narbett of Tiget Lilly Boat Trip St Ives may have been fascinated to see the creature, the nearby youngsters weren’t as thrilled.
The 49-year-old said: ‘I had finished my trips for the day and was walking around the harbour front when I spotted the juvenile basking shark next to the harbour wall.
‘It was incredible to see it so close and very rare as we haven’t seen any basking sharks for some years in the bay.
He added: ‘The poor kids who were in the water must have only been 20ft from it.
‘They didn’t realise it was harmless so they started screaming and got straight out of the shallow water.
‘At a guess there were 20 kids playing on the small beach and eight in the water on paddle boards.
‘I went on social media and joked afterwards that Jaws had entered the harbour!’
People flocked to social media to share their thought on the aquatic creature’s visit to the Cornish harbour.
One quipped: ‘We’re going to need a bigger boat, while another joked: ‘I’m glad we didn’t swim here today.’
The basking shark used to be fished for their meat, fins and liver oil, which was used in lamps, lubricants and perfumes
It is the second largest fish in the world after whale sharks and typically eats zooplankton
A local added: ‘A basking shark! Beautiful animal and totally harmless. That would suggest that the water there is clean so it’s nice to see.’
According to the National Geographic, basking sharks used to be fished for their meat, fins and liver oil, which was used in lamps, lubricants and perfumes.
It is thought as many as 100,000 basking sharks were taken out of the North Atlantic, with its population on the verge of collapsing.
In 1998, the sharks became a protected species but were still being knocked by boats, impacted by harmful microplastics and caught in fishing nets.
They are one of only three shark species to feed on plankton and come in to shallow water in the spring and summer months to feed.
