Basking Shark off Plymouth

[kcrane]

Returning to Plymouth from Falmouth, calm sea, just west of Rame Head and we noticed a large fin off the port bow. There was something about it that suggested it wasn't a dolphin (which we've seen a few times in the area). I drifted closer at tick-over, then stopped the engines, only realising what it was when we could see the tip of a nose, the large fin and the top of the tail. Of course I didn't have the SLR, so the photos are from a camera phone. A guess would be it was about a third the length of the boat, so around 5m.

 

[adey]

Good spot. Never seen one myself but they are often off the Southwest coast.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/47216744@N05/4378991048/

 

[lisilou]

Oh wow! Shame you didn't video it.
L

 

[kcrane]

Actually daughter took a short video, but again on a phone so not wonderful - will try and remember how to add YouTube!

Edit - have added it to first post - I said it was short!

 

[lisilou]

Ta.

 

[MYStargazer]

Thanks for posting.

You're gonna need a bigger boat.

 

[kcrane]

Thanks for posting.

You're gonna need a bigger boat.

There was a thought to launch the tender to get a closer look and I know they are harmless, but as it swam close passed the boat it looked flipping big, so the idea was shelved

 

[Grampus]

Great to see them on the surface, they will be up here in a couple of weeks, around the 20th.

An 18 ft (5.5 m) shark weighs about 1.5 tonnes, their mass increasing with the cube of their body length.

Getting too close in a small boat has resulted in at least 3 deaths in the the UK in the past. They have the ability to breach clear of the water without warning - here is a link to a video of a breaching shark that I filmed from my bedroom. ( http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XyEFmjnajwY ).

They maybe fairly harmless but anything that weighs a couple of tonnes or even up to 10 tonnes and can produce 50 kilowatts and more instant power is a fearsome animal.

 

[MYStargazer]

Getting too close in a small boat has resulted in at least 3 deaths in the the UK in the past. They have the ability to breach clear of the water without warning - here is a link to a video of a breaching shark that I filmed from my bedroom. ( http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XyEFmjnajwY ).

Wow. Had no idea they did could do that. Thought they were too unwieldy. The temptation to try to get up close and personal must be quite strong.

Camera on a stick in the water could still get some good shots, though...

 

[Grampus]

Yes, the camera on stick does work but unless you have a licence to approach these animals you will be committing reckless disturbance and that would not be a good idea for the shark nor your bank account if you get caught.

The minimum approach distance without a licence is 100 metres but if you are in the water and the shark approaches you then that's generally OK.

All basking sharks are protected species in UK and all European waters and their surfacing and basking is part of their courtship activity.

 

[kcrane]

Yes, the camera on stick does work but unless you have a licence to approach these animals you will be committing reckless disturbance and that would not be a good idea for the shark nor your bank account if you get caught.

The minimum approach distance without a licence is 100 metres but if you are in the water and the shark approaches you then that's generally OK.

All basking sharks are protected species in UK and all European waters and their surfacing and basking is part of their courtship activity.

I didn't know they had proved dangerous either - it was instinct about the size that put us off getting a closer look. I also didn't know it was illegal to get close, but fortunately, even had there been an observer we were OK as we stopped well clear and the shark swam to us. It appeared to be cruising in broad spirals.

 

[Grampus]

Over the last 20 years I've been lucky enough to watch lots of sharks from the land, they come in very close to the shore here.

When you see a pair of massive sharks fighting and beating the daylights out of each other with their tails or ramming one another with their heads, the idea that they are always gentle giants just evaporates.

The fatal attack by a basking shark on a boat was in 1937 and is called the Caradale Incident, taking place just off shore at Caradale in the Clyde. Reports at the time speak of repeated attacks by a basking shark, not just a breaching.

Fascinating animals.

 

[kcrane]

Yep, there was a link in Spanish at the bottom of the comments on your video, which seemed to be a RIB off Spain (with kids in it) amongst one or more sharks who were breaching frequently. Looked a bit dodgy to be that close, especially with kids.

 

[Grampus]

Thanks for pointing that out, I hadn't seen it before. Don't think I have ever seen one shark breach so many times.

Even those partial breaches are huge investments of energy, those would be around 10 ,000 Joules and a full breach from a big shark could consume upwards of 200,000 Joules - that's a lot of energy to freely expend, all derived from eating copepod plankton.

 

[kcrane]

Though quite effective 'signalling' if they have no other way to send a message long distance, whereas whales and dolphins can make noises?

 

[Grampus]

Yes, I tend to agree with you that there is an element of signalling involved with some, maybe all breaching.

I have seen a group of 5 sharks swimming near one another, but not closely coupled as in echelon swimming, all turn simultaneously and face towards a breaching some 1.5 miles away.

They will also turn towards a sailing yacht slamming through the water.

Certainly a big shark can make a massive splash injecting vast amounts of low frequency energy into the water which, being low frequency, will propagate efficiently over long distances.

When you see an 8 or 9 metre shark breach 3 or 4 metres into the air in a salmon type breach and crash out into the water in a total wipeout of energy, the resultant splash is enormous.

 

[explores]

Two years ago we saw six in one day off of Falmouth.Was going to get a bit closer, but when we saw the size of them we stayed away. We were in my 18ft day boat. Did not know they breached.Glad we never went any closer.

 

[rbcoomer]

Great pictures! One of the great appeals for us is the marine wildlife. Although I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, our Fletcher rabble captured great pictures of porpoises off Berry Head and a couple of barrel jellyfish in Torquay Harbour, so it was a good weekend for wildlife

 

[wazza]

"Of course I didn't have the SLR, so the photos are from a camera phone. "

My first thoughts were SLR, you didn't have your Self Loading Riffle, that's a little harsh, it's not going to attack you like the Jaws films...!?!?!!!

 

[kcrane]

"Of course I didn't have the SLR, so the photos are from a camera phone. "

My first thoughts were SLR, you didn't have your Self Loading Riffle, that's a little harsh, it's not going to attack you like the Jaws films...!?!?!!!

British Army 1970's?