More Basking Sharks

[GeorgeLlewellin]

More Basking Sharks
These photos were taken South West of Plymouth last June while on passage from Milford Haven (Pembrokeshire) to Fareham.

I believe they are harmless to use humans (is this true), and that their huge open mouths are only scooping up plankton, although they glide seemingly effortlessly through the water, they look very threatening.

 

[Will_M]

Nice pics... I believe they are harmless to us, although dont know for certain. But am certain I wouldn't get in the water with one!!!

 

[FWB]

Great pics. I believe they eat naughty children.

 

[Guest]

Great photos, and yes, they are totally harmless to to anything, except plankton, they can grow up to 30'+ in length! Wonderful creatures. I had the privelidge of seeing a lot of them off Cape Cornwall last year, whilst on passage from Chichester to Bideford.

 

[NPMR]

Last summer we were in St Austell Bay, having seen the sharks and sailed up close (but not too close, as advised) when we were arriving at Fowey, still under sail when most were motoring with the light winds, when I heard a swishing noise behind us.

When we looked we were being followed, about 10 feet behind, by an enormous basking shark, that stayed directly behind the boat (we were on autohelm) for a really long time. We felt that we were stirring up the food for it, otherwise we could not imagine why it would do this. Great sight!

Only when a blasted noisy RIB saw that we were watching something and came over to butt in, did it disappear.

We have movie footage of it but I haven't mastered getting it on to here yet, to show you all!

 

[Achillesheel]

We saw three together off Helford last summer, about 25'long, amazing sight. One came round the back of the boat and alongside only a few feet away.

Great pics, George!

 

[DanTribe]

Aren't they amazing creatures.
I once saw one in Plymouth Sound, right next to the windward mark during a dinghy championship with 150 boats bearing down on it.
As I was on a protest committee, I quckly looked to see if they constituted a legitimate obstruction, so that room could be claimed.
Surprisingly the racing rules didn't seem to allow for fish.

 

[Speed]

Great pictures, and its nice that everyone gets such pleasure out of seeing them. The shark in the picture is an adult, and the abraded nose suggests it has been involved in courtship

They can (theoretically) reach 12m in length, although the biggest one we have ever seen was 10.5 - they rarely exceed 9m. This makes them the 2nd largest fish in the world after the whale shark.

Although they feed solely on plankton, they do have tiny teeth, in rows like many other sharks. As such they pose no direct threat to man. However, small craft should watch out if they are close, as they sometimes breach clear of the water, and unlike a whale or dolphin have no idea you are there, and accidents have occurred. Nor will they get out of your way - when they are feeding on dense plankton they are on autopilot, and you certainly don't want to collide with a 5 Tonne shark.

They will follow boats for several minutes at a time in very calm conditions. This may be, as suggested, due to food being stirred up, or it may be due to minute electrical discharges caused by galavnic activity on the boat - sharks use electroreception to find their prey at close range.

Hot spots around the UK include the Lands End and Lizard area, the Isle of Man and the West coast of Scotland, although they can be seen outside these areas, and were widespread along the West of the UK last summer. Britain is one fo the best places in the world to see them at the surface.

The Marine Conservation Society (www.mcsuk.org) are always glad to receive records of sightings, the Shark Trust (www.sharktrust.org) have lots of useful information on basking sharks on their site, and the Wildlife Trusts have information on their surveys on their site at(www.wildlifetrusts.org and click on the picture of the basking shark).

 

[gardenshed]

"and you certainly don't want to collide with a 5 Tonne shark."

Been there, got that Tshirt.

early 80's sailing on an Oyster 41 on the Zigeuner Race from Bangor NI to Kip (via the South Rock Lighthouse & some other marks). mid morning on the sunday, light breeze, light kite up close reaching just burbling along when BANG, we stopped dead in the water. A shark appeared at the side of the boat and was significantly more than half the length of the boat. We'd T-boned it. It flicked its tail and swam off (muttering abour COLREGS and sail giving way to fish/let sleeping baskies lie)
The owner came on deck (oh the days of watches and getting sleep on an overnight race) and started giving out about us taking chances with his boat and asking what we'd hit, but with Ireland a distant smudge behind us and Ailsa Craig on the horizon so there was nothing else to hit out there. When lifted that winter, there wasn't a mark in the boat so it wasn't a container or anythign else.

It is great that the reaction now is one of wonder and desire to learn more.

PS: Try reading Gavin Maxwell's book "Harpoon at a venture" which is based on the shark fishing venture that he and Tex Geddes set up after the war. Great book, but not an activity that would be supported today.