"That said, it is certainly not unprecedented to see one in such shallow waters with similar instances recorded here in the UK and overseas from time to time."<doc-sep>A shark spotted swimming in shallow water through a Cornish harbour prompted alarm among onlookers. The creature, thought to be a blue shark, was seen metres from the shore by boat workers in St Ives. Video footage of the sighting was captured by Harry Hocking and Archie Pickin, of St Ives Boat Rides, who had been standing on the harbour slipway. Recommended Large sharks could soon be heading for Britain due to climate change “It is definitely one of biggest I have seen. It must have been about 8 to 9ft long,” Mr Hocking told Cornwall Live. “It was swimming along for a good two to three minutes and went towards west pier before leaving the harbour. “A lot of people noticed and by the time it left there were dozens of people watching from the harbour wall. “People have already been saying they won’t be swimming now, I don’t think it was a basking shark.” The blue shark is a migratory animal and is known to frequent waters around Britain during warmer months. Males can grow almost three metres long (9ft 6ins), while females can reach closer to 3.2 metres in length (10ft 7ins). Conservation charity the Shark Trust described the incident as “unusual”, advising those in the area to give it space until it moves back offshore to its usual habitat. 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The celebration marks the end of the Muslim month of fasting, called Ramadan.<doc-sep>The public have been warned to stay out of the water after a massive shark was spotted swimming in a harbour, in Cornwall, the shark capital of the UK. The 9ft long predator was captured on film swimming in a harbour in St Ives and has been identified as a blue shark. Cornwall currently hosts 20 species of shark in its waters, making it the most diverse shark population of the UK. The Shark Trust advised giving the blue shark plenty of space to allow it to move out of the harbour. John Richardson of the Shark Trust said: “Due to the confined nature of the harbour, which could hinder the shark's ability to naturally move away from disturbance, the trust strongly advises people not to get into the water with the shark.”<doc-sep>SWIMMERS were ordered to stay out of the water after a massive shark lurked just inches from a harbour in Cornwall. The 9ft-long predator was filmed close to the shore in the popular Cornish holiday town of St Ives. 5 Swimmers were ordered to stay out of the water after a massive shark lurked just inches from a harbour in Cornwall Credit: SWNS:South West News Service Experts believe it was a blue shark which got lost while hunting and have told bathers to stay clear until it has left the area. Archie Pickin and Harry Hocking, both 16, were standing on the harbour slipway when the shark swam past around 9.30am yesterday. The friends managed to catch the shark on camera and Archie said: "We heard someone say about a shark and we didn't believe it at first. It doesn't exactly happen every day. "It was really big." 5 The blue shark was spotted near to the harbour in St Ives Credit: SWNS:South West News Service How to survive an encounter with a Great White Shark Harry added: “It was swimming along for a good two to three minutes and went towards west pier before leaving the harbour. "A lot of people noticed and by the time it left there were dozens of people watching from the harbour wall. “People have already been saying they won’t be swimming now." Blue sharks have been known to go for humans but there have been very few attacks recorded. John Richardson of the Shark Trust said: "They are predominantly an oceanic, open water species, and not commonly found close to shore. 5 Blue sharks have been known to attack humans but they could hardly be described as frequent 'man-eaters' Credit: Alamy 5 The last unprovoked blue shark attack in British waters was in 1847 Credit: Alamy ''But it is certainly not unprecedented to see one in such shallow waters. "To see a free-swimming blue shark close to shore like this is a real privilege. “If this shark remains in St Ives harbour, the Shark Trust advises people to give it plenty of space until it moves back offshore to its usual habitat. "Due to the confined nature of the harbour, which could hinder the shark’s ability to naturally move away from disturbance, the trust strongly advises people not to get into the water with the shark. “We can only speculate on why this shark has come so close to shore. "Possible explanations include injury or illness, or perhaps disorientation after following prey inshore. But this is speculation only." Blue sharks in British waters Blue sharks have been known to go for humans and for boats out in sea and are therefore classified as a "dangerous" species. There are also reports of attacks following air or sea disasters with accounts suggesting shipwrecked sailors have been maimed by them. Blue sharks have been reported to circle swimmers or divers for 15 minutes or more before going in for a bite. The beasts are described as "not overly aggressive" but should be approached with caution, as they may attempt a "test bite". British waters are home to more than 40 different species of shark, including the second largest fish in the world, the basking shark. The Shark Trust describes blue sharks as "seasonal visitors" to UK waters. During the summer the predators can can appear in the seas around Britain as part of their highly migratory lifestyle. There has not been an unprovoked attack involving a blue shark in British waters since 1847. The sighting came after fisherman caught 20 sharks off the British coast - in just one day. The group reeled in the impressive haul of blue and porbeagle sharks during a 24-hour fishing trip in waters around Devon. And, elsewhere, angler George Simmonds reeled in one of the biggest ever to be caught in British waters. The 51-year-old spent two hours hauling in a monster 300lb thresher shark off the coast of Dale, Pembrokeshire. 5 George Simmonds, pictured with pals, reeled in a 300lb thresher shark off the coast of Pembrokeshire Credit: Wales News Service MOST READ IN NEWS 'GOBSMACKED' Queen 'gave Harry OK for Oprah series after misleading pitch about soldiers' ROD LIDDLE Ousting right-on National Trust boss is a victory against wokery DRUMMER DEAD School Of Rock star dies at 32 after being hit by car as Jack Black mourns HOUSE ABOUT IT You won't believe what this ordinary London home looks like on the inside Exclusive TOM'S LEGACY Captain Tom Moore — who raised £39m for charity — left family £73k in will JABS HOPE Scientists 'crack cause of blood clots linked to Covid jabs & know how to fix it' Mr Simmonds, of Llanelli, said: "It's so rare and difficult to land a thresher shark as they are so large. In the shark world, it's up there at the top of the list. "It was so big it got caught in the hatch door of the boat as we tried to get it on board. "The body was 6ft 8in long and the tail was 6ft - it was the length of the boat. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.<doc-sep>
Holidaymakers have been warned against taking a dip in a Cornwall harbour after the sighting of a nine-foot shark. The fine summer weather has made St Ives a popular hot spot for residents and tourists alike, but the sighting of the blue shark means it could be a little less busy until it leaves the area. Experts have said the animal - which was caught on camera by a couple of teenage workmates - has likely suffered an injury or lost its way while chasing prey. Image: Blue sharks prefer deep waters in the world's temperate and tropical oceans. File pic Archie Pickin and Harry Hocking, both 16, who captured the footage, said the shark looked "really big". Harry told Cornwall Live: "It was swimming along for a good two to three minutes and went towards west pier before leaving the harbour. "A lot of people noticed and by the time it left there were dozens of people watching from the harbour wall. "People have already been saying they won't be swimming now." Cornwall was named the shark capital of the UK in a study released on Tuesday, followed by the Scilly Isles and Devon, with at least 20 species found off the coast Around 10 million small sharks and 100,000 larger ones - from 40 different species - are found in the seas around the country, with warmer seas tempting them to travel from the Mediterranean and the coast of Africa. The research - carried out to mark National Geographic's Shark Week - said great hammerheads, blacktips, sand tigers and bigeye threshers were among the species that could appear in the UK in the coming years as a result of the changing temperature. John Richardson, of the Plymouth-based Shark Trust, told Cornwall Live that the presence of the blue shark - which normally inhabit deep waters in temperate and tropical oceans - in Cornwall was "a real privilege". Image: The sighting in St Ives has prompted a warning from the Shark Trust "They are predominantly an oceanic, open water species, and not commonly found close to shore," he said. "But it is certainly not unprecedented to see one in such shallow waters. To see a free-swimming blue shark close to shore like this is a real privilege. If this shark remains in St Ives harbour, the Shark Trust advises people to give it plenty of space until it moves back offshore to its usual habitat. "Due to the confined nature of the harbour, which could hinder the shark's ability to naturally move away from disturbance, the trust strongly advises people not to get into the water with the shark."