Lifeguards evacuated a beach in Jersey after a large shark was spotted in the water, marking the first time the island has closed a beach for such a sighting.
Evacuation at St Ouen's Bay
RNLI lifeguards used loudspeakers to tell people to leave the water at St Ouen's Bay on Saturday morning after multiple sightings of the creature. The shark was described as dark grey and about 10ft to 12ft (3m to 3.6m) long.
One local lifeguard said it was the first time in history that Jersey has closed a beach for a shark sighting, and one of only a handful of times this has happened in the entire British Isles.
Lifeguard's account
Lifeguard Tom Rolls said he could barely believe what he was hearing when the alarm was raised by a colleague further down the coast. He told the Jersey Evening Post: "We got the call through from one of the guards at Watersplash [beach bar], and he basically said that a shark had been spotted in the lineup.
"Initially, we were like, 'that's a joke, you're having us on here'. But then he was persistent. He said multiple sightings had been seen by members of the public."
Red flags were flown and a PA system was used to tell people to get out of the water, before the beach reopened around an hour later. No injuries were reported.
Recent shark stranding
In June, a 4.3-metre-long (14ft) smalltooth sand tiger shark washed up on Grève d'Azette beach in Jersey, about seven miles from the location of the most recent sighting. The shark was showing faint signs of life when it was first discovered stranded in a shallow tidal pool.
Responders from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), Jersey Coastguard, and Marine Resources attempted to revive it, but the animal died shortly after. Sand tiger sharks are usually found in tropical and subtropical waters, such as the Mediterranean.
Previous beach evacuations
In August 2021, a stretch of water off Boscombe and Bournemouth beaches in Dorset was temporarily cleared by RNLI lifeguards after daytrippers reported a "large marine animal" in the water. Experts said the incident was likely triggered by a harmless basking shark.
In July 2012, surfers and swimmers were evacuated from Croyde Bay in Devon after a member of the public spotted a large fin in the water offshore. RNLI lifeguards advised people to leave the water as a precaution as the fin, also believed to be from a basking shark, appeared inside a designated safe swimming zone.
