Fears of an attack have been raised after a diver was unprovokedly bit while snorkelling in the area a few weeks ago by a “disoriented” shark that was sighted swimming in the shallow seas off Cornwall.
Following the discovery of the animal, which is thought to be a blue shark, in Trelissick, near Falmouth, on Wednesday, experts advised potential swimmers to avoid the area.
It is thought to be the same species that, on July 28, around 15 miles off the coast of Penzance, bit the leg of a skilled snorkeler. This was the first assault of its sort in the previous 175 years.
The behaviour of the shark on Wednesday was “very worrying,” according to Dan Jarvis of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, since sharks “don’t generally come up so close to beaches like this.”
He expressed concern that the animal may be “damaged or ill” and need medical treatment.
Our recommendation is to ignore it and give it a wide berth, he said.
It could be confused, so it’s ideal for our staff to keep an eye on it and allow it time and space to act as it pleases.
It could have just come to have a look and will swim away when it’s ready, but if it’s sick, we don’t want to put it through further stress by having people jump in the water and interfere with it.
Harry Gobby, who captured the shark on camera, said that at one point it looked to be attempting to beach itself.
Its nose emerged from the sea and washed up on the shore, he said.
On the shore, it “nearly nuzzled below its neck.”
Others who saw the monster were also able to capture it on camera. In one footage, the creature can be seen writhing as it approaches the coast before briefly returning to the open ocean.
Christy Tudd, a biologist, also tweeted a video of the animal taken from a rowing boat around 5 p.m., noting that she had been “on the scene” since about 9.30 a.m.
She commented that the animal seemed “quite healthy” in a subsequent film showing it swimming along a pebbled coastline and said, “So this behaviour is extremely weird!”
It happened only a few weeks after a snorkeler who was attacked by a shark off Cornwall in the first such incidence in 175 years was left “screaming for assistance” and described the experience as “extremely terrifying.”
The lady, who was not named, was travelling with Blue Shark Snorkel Trips at the time of the accident on July 28 near Penzance.
The lady may have needed minor reconstructive surgery as a result of the violent bite, according to the Sun. Witnesses told the newspaper that she let out “shattering screams” and that there was “blood everywhere.”
During the £180 per person tour, the unfortunate explorer was swimming around 15 miles out to sea when the shark suddenly attacked her leg.
The swimmer was hurried back into the hired boat, where she received emergency first aid before being brought onshore for more care.
Since 1847, there hasn’t been a shark attack of this type on a human in British waters. In recent years, some fishermen have been bitten, but only after carrying the marine monsters aboard their boats.
The tour company said that it will look into the attack’s possible causes.
The bitten victim stated in a statement released by the tour operator: “What was a very frightening experience was made so much easier by the compassion and tranquilly of the individuals surrounding me.
“I want to thank the trip crew for bringing me back to land safely and fast, and for making me feel as secure as they could.
“We all assume these risks when we enter a predator’s environment, and we can never totally foresee an animal’s behaviour,” the statement goes.
The coast guard saved the lady, who was then turned over to the hands of paramedics. It has been verified by HM Coastguard that a shark bite is thought to have been the source of the injury.
Despite how the excursion ended, the victim said, it was “wonderful to observe such gorgeous animals in the wild.”
I don’t for a minute want the image of an already persecuted species to be tarnished by this odd incident, she said.