Steven Greenfields, who was out walking with his family in March last year, said: My whole family was stunned as the animal had really unusual features, but was unmistakably a shark.. Mr Berryman was airlifted from the trawler by the coastguard helicopter to Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro. Despite the appearance of their huge gaping jaws, these massive fish are not dangerous to humans as they feed on plankton. They are also the most heavily fished shark on the planet and are eaten for their meat across the world. They visit the UK from the Caribbean over the summer. Wanted to thank everyone for their amazing actions. Reaching lengths of up to 38ft, basking sharks are the largest fish in British waters and typically seen in the spring and summer. You don't want to be using your hands to do it. They mainly eat fish and squid, but will chow down on lobster, shrimp and sea birds. Although blue sharks, porbeagle sharks and basking sharks are a common sight in Cornish waters, none of them tend to attack humans and bites in the UK are a rare occurrence. 'The shark was spotted swimming in between boats and came very close to the shore, swimming past tourists in just a few feet of water. A spokesperson said: "HM Coastguard sentPenzanceCoastguard Rescue Team to meet a snorkeler who suffered a suspected shark bite. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. Two people couldn't have reached around it with their arms. Several species visit the Cornish waters every year, including blue sharks, porbeagle sharks and basking sharks - who do not tend to attack humans - but shark attacks remain rare, especially in the UK. And there is always a scare story that a great white has turned to Britain for its hunting ground. The coastguard was notified just before 12.30pm on Thursday. Risky business: Stephen Perkins holds the head of the Blue Shark moments before it nearly bit his hand off. At the time, Mr Venn told The Brighton Argus: "I went down to the beach to feed the birds when I saw something come up just behind the waves. And usually very, very peaceful. ", "First aid (was) carried out on the person involved.". It is believed that the - harmless - invasion is a result of the reduced marine traffic due to the Covid lockdowns. Meanwhile, photos believedto be of a great whiteshark were captured by James Venn, 42, while he stood on the beach near Goring, West Sussex, on February 4. My initial reaction was of disbelief as nothing like this has ever happened to me in my time at sea. 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Mr Yelland, who lives in St Erth, Cornwall, takes wildlife photographs in his spare time. The swimmer, who sustained a leg injury on Thursday (July 28) off Penzance, was rescued by the coastguard. "Thank you to the trip team for getting me back to shore quickly and carefully and making me feel as safe as I possibly could. 'The coastguard team met the casualty at Penzance harbour to assist with passing them into the care of the ambulance service.'. Some species are common in British waters year-round, such as small-spotted sharks, catshark, porbeagle and basking sharks. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Unprovoked counts. HM Coastguard said in a statement: HM Coastguard sent Penzance Coastguard Rescue Team to meet a snorkeller who suffered a suspected shark bite. The woman was rescued by the coastguard and left in the care of paramedics. 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The swimmer suffered a leg injury and was left in the care of paramedics. The September 2008:A fisherman had to undergo reconstructive surgery after becoming the first person to be bitten by a Blue shark off the British coast in 2008. The animal slammed into their boat and killed them both. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Daring Stephen Perkins, 52, had just hauled the fish into his boat for a commemorative photograph when it sunk its teeth into his forearm. Unprovoked (total) Non-fatal and unprovoked: Fatal and unprovoked: Provoked/invalid/sea disaster/boating counts. 1937: In the morning of September 1 off the Kintyre peninsula in Scotland, steamship captain Angus Brown took members of his family on a pleasure trip on his dinghy. There have been only a few dozen shark bite incidents recorded in UK waters since records began in 1847, with most of them involving fishermen handling the animals. In April, a suspected basking shark was captured on video Mr Narbett said: Ive seen them that big before in the water but Ive never hooked one that big before.. 'Following advice and assessment from the coastguard, the person walked off the boat and received further treatment ashore. I was in absolute agony.. The company, Blue Shark Snorkel Trips, said: "We want to make everyone aware that we have had an incident. My most notable catches include a bass estimated to be close to 20lb, this is only an estimate as the fish was released as with all large bass that I catch to preserve the breeding stock.. A snorkeller was the recent victim of a suspected shark attack off the coast of Cornwall in the UK. The keen fisherman, who works in marine technology, was caught between awe and terror as the rare shark swam up to see him. They said: "I just wanted to say that, despite how the trip ended, it was amazing to seed such majestic creatures in the wild and I don't for a second want this freak event to tarnish the reputation of an already persecuted species. In recent years their numbers have declined by as much as 60 per cent and their conservation status is now 'near threatened'. HM Coastguard confirmed that it is believed the injury was caused by a suspected shark bite. A blue shark attack is not going to happen to an ordinary person enjoying the coast, an expert from the Cornwall Wildlife Trust has said. Local media suggests she had been out on a blue shark sightseeing trip at the time. Agence France-Presse contributed to this report. The predators are one of the widest ranging species, feeding in waters from Norway to Soutch Africa and despite their fearsome appearance, these sharks are under threat. 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To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Captain Brown, his 10-year-old son and another unnamed family friend all drowned. They are the most migratory shark on earth, travelling over 9,000km (5,700 miles) each year, according to Shark Trust UK. "We immediately enacted our emergency response plan, with first aid being carried out on the person involved. 'I started the shark diving trips off Cornwall in 2006 and myself and my guides were always in the water with those we were taking out. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. Blue Shark Snorkel also said that they have "tried to understand why it happened and are in talks with shark experts. Prefers temperatures of 12-20C but can tolerate 830C. They are one of a range of species of sharks which lurk off the coast of the UK, including porbeagle, gulper and kitefin sharks - however attacks are rare. We immediately enacted our emergency response plan, with first aid being carried out on the person involved. 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