Family spot 'massive SHARK' yards from shore while on Norfolk beach
Some FIN lurking in the deep: Family spot ‘massive SHARK’ just yards from shore while walking on Norfolk beach
- Kerry Hester, 47, spotted ‘basking shark’ in Caister-on-Sea, near Great Yarmouth
- She was walking along beach from with her two daughters, 7 & 13, and their dog
- Basking sharks commonly seen in Cornwall, western Scotland and Isle of Man
A family were given a shock when they spotted what they believed to be a ‘massive shark’ swimming just yards from the shore while walking on Norfolk beach.
Kerry Hester, 47, was strolling along the beachfront in Caister-on-Sea, near Great Yarmouth, when she and her daughters saw the fin of what she thinks was a basking shark poking out the water.
The mother-of-two from Harlow, Essex, quickly pulled out her camera to record the ‘shark’ as it swam in the waters close by.
Kerry Hester, 47, and her two daughters were walking along the beach in Caister-on-Sea near great Yarmouth when they spotted what they believed to be a basking shark just off the shore (pictured)
The two youngsters were seen in the clip looking out into the water as the shark swam by (pictured)
Kerry and her daughters aged seven and 13, stopped to watch the rare sighting for 20 minutes as they walked their dog, The Mirror reports.
In the fascinating clip, the ‘shark’ can be seen swimming at the surface of the water, close to the shore and a wind farm.
She said: ‘We looked out to sea and we spotted the shark. It was really weird as there was hardly anyone down there and no one else seemed to notice it.
‘I was really mesmerised by it. I think it was a basking shark and I don’t think they’re that common around here.
‘It was about 100metres from the shore and it was visible with the naked eye.’
Captioning the video which she posted on Facebook on Saturday, Kerry wrote: ‘Was looking for seals and saw this. Don’t think I will be in the sea for a while.’
The mother-of-two from Harlow, Essex, quickly pulled out her camera to record the ‘shark’ as it swam in the waters close by and shared the video on Facebook on Saturday
Kerry said in the 30 years she has taken trips to Caister-on-Sea she has never seen a basking shark in the waters.
Basking sharks are most commonly seen in Cornwall, western Scotland and the Isle of Man but other sightings have taken place across the UK.
They are the second-largest shark in the world after the whale shark but are harmless and feed on microscopic plankton scooped into their giant mouths.
Last month, beachgoers in Ireland were stunned when a pair of sharks swam just feet away from them.
The pair of sharks can be seen swimming just feet away from a group of people, including children, in the waters of Keem Bay on County Mayo’s Achill Island
Video footage shows their large fins emerging from the water in Keem Bay on County Mayo’s Achill Island, with one following the other closely, as the beachgoers look on in astonishment.
‘Oh my god,’ a child can be heard screaming as the basking sharks are seen slowly swimming past.
The pair, which appear to be an adult and a youngster due to the difference in their fin sizes, end up swimming across the bay in shallow waters.
But the sighting caused alarm for onlookers who thought there could be danger. Sharing the footage on Twitter, Alan O’Neill said: ‘This is like a scene from Jaws’.
What are basking sharks?
Basking sharks are the second-largest fish in the world and can grow up to 39ft. (Stock image)
Basking sharks are the second-largest fish in the world after whale sharks.
They have long gills which almost go completely around their heads.
The maximum size of the sharks is around 39ft but there have been unconfirmed reports of larger ones.
It is unknown how long they live, but scientists are trying to learn this by counting the number of vertebral spines – in a similar way to counting the rings of a tree trunk to discover its age – and comparing that to other animals whose age is known.
Basking sharks feed mainly on zooplankton and will swim slowly just beneath the surface with their mouths open to filter the tiny organisms from seawater.
They prefer to live in cooler waters, along coastlines and in open water, and can be found across the world.
Northern hemisphere countries where basking sharks can be found near include China, Korea, Japan, the east coast of the US, Great Britain and Norway, as well as in the Mediterranean.
In the southern hemisphere they can be found off Southern Australia, South America and the tip of South Africa.
These giants are relatively harmless to humans. According to the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, they ‘are considered passive and no danger to humans other than that posed by their large size and rough skin.’
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