Basking Sharks in Mount’s Bay
For the last six weeks or so there have been sporadic sightings of basking sharks in Mount’s Bay. This is not unusual at this time of year. This week, however, they have been seen in quite large numbers; up to 18 at one time.
The basking shark is the second largest living shark, after the whale shark. It is a slow moving and generally harmless filter feeder found in temperate seas.
Basking sharks can grow to more than 12 metres in length – a shark that size would weigh approximately 19 tonnes. However, most adult basking sharks are between six and eight metres in length. Very little seems to be known about them. Basking sharks are protected in UK waters.
Every couple of years, basking sharks in Cornish waters are mistaken for great white sharks; the newspapers have a field day each time!
Yesterday evening, I was fortunate to come across three of them (approximately four to five metres in length) feeding on the surface about half a mile south of St. Michael’s Mount. They are fascinating to watch, but very difficult to photograph!
