A LIFEGUARD reportedly punched a massive 12ft shark roaming close to the shore before panicked swimmers were told to get out of the water.
Coastguards shut off St Ouen’s Bay, on the northwestern tip of , at around 10.40am on Saturday following reports of a .
A lifeguard reportedly punched a shark roaming near the shore of St Ouen’s Bay in Jersey Credit: Alamy
It follows the discovery of a smalltooth sand tiger shark that washed up on a nearby beach in Jersey two months before Credit: Government of Jersey Marine Reso / SWNS
RNLI lifeguard Tom Rolls said his colleague Nick bravely paddled out to the shark lurking just 40 metres off the .
“He even said he kind of punched it as he was paddling, so it must have been really close to the surface,” said Tom.
“It was darkish grey, about 10 to 12 feet long, then it swam away really quickly from under his board.”
He added that the coastguards had been shocked to hear about the sighting, hoisting red flags and locking down the as a precaution.
The species appeared to have a ‘large dorsal fin’, meaning it could have been a basking shark Credit: Getty
There are around 40 species of shark in UK coastal waters, including some of the fastest in the world Credit: Government of Jersey Marine Reso / SWNS
While the species was not identified, onlookers were blown away by its size – around the length of two fully-grown adults.
Teenage surf instructor Jesse Heddercott, 16, was halfway through coaching when the order came through.
“Nothing like this has ever happened in Jersey before, so it’s pretty crazy,” he told the BBC.
“We thought it was just a tuna, or something, but then another lifeguard spotted it and it was confirmed to be – probably – a shark.
“They red-flagged the beach and we all had to get out.”
The shark reportedly swam south after a while, allowing coastguards to reopen the beach.
Richard Peirce, a wildlife campaigner with specialist knowledge on sharks, said he doubted the mystery creature was a Great White.
He told the Metro : “I haven’t seen a good picture of a dorsal fin that might have enabled me to have a stab at the species.
“It has to be a good picture because if you get a good enough side on a dorsal fin, it’s a bit like a human fingerprint.”
He said that a large dorsal fin would likely suggest it was a basking shark – although he couldn’t be certain.
Richard said: “Some people say the who closed the beach acted hastily, but I don’t agree with that.
“I don’t know how crowded the beach was, but if there was a fin in the water and if that fin was going to cause people to worry, possibly even to panic, then it is going to be sensible to close the beach until the fin buzzed off.”
The UK is home to over 40 species of shark, including some of the fastest and most highly migratory on the planet.
The slow-moving basking shark tends to visit British coastal waters from April to October to feed on zooplankton blooms and are typically spotted around the south-west of England and west coast of Scotland.
It follows the discovery of a carcass belonging to the endangered smalltooth sand tiger shark on a beach in Jersey just months beforehand.
Described as an “elusive” and “deep-water species”, the species is typically found in warm and tropical globally.
While there were 12 reported fatal shark attacks last year, humans are in turn responsible for the deaths of 100 million sharks, predominantly due to .
Richard said: “Sharks are under far more threat from humans than humans are ever likely to be from sharks.
“We are pushing some species, Great Whites amongst them, towards extinction.”
An RNLI spokesperson told the Metro: “RNLI lifeguards at St Ouens Bay responded to a suspected shark sighting off the coast on the morning of Saturday 1st August, by one of our Lifeguards in the water.
“A decision was made to red flag the beach and get all members of the public out of the water as a precaution.
“The team then used a jet ski to survey the area, before concluding that there was no further sign.
“The beach was red flagged for 45 minutes. There have been no sightings since.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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