Shark attack fears see beach popular with Brits shut as beast skulks shoreline

17 June 2024 , 07:02

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The shark was spotted over the weekend skulking the Spanish coast (Image: SOLARPIX.COM)

Shark sightings have shuttered two more Spanish resorts, with one forced to close just hours after local officials gave tourists the greenlight to return.

Lifeguards ordered bathers out of the water at Melenara Beach on Gran Canaria’s east coast for a second day running over the weekend after a police drone spotted a hammerhead shark off the beach. The beach had only reopened on Sunday following a previous incident, and the resulting bathing ban has now been extended to two further beaches.

The neighbouring Salinetas beach quickly followed, with Playa de San Agustín close behind, as lifeguards were seen hoisting a red flag at the spot just two hours later when a tourist photographed the tell-tale fin of a shark sticking out of the water. The latest shark appearance was reportedly spotted by a tourist near a restaurant overlooking the sea called Balcon de San Augustin. Red Cross officials later confirmed they had also seen it.

Authorities have not confirmed whether the sightings were all of the same shark (SOLARPIX.COM)

(SOLARPIX.COM)

But the fish disappeared almost as quickly as it was sighted, with local police and other officials failing to locate the unidentified shark despite their best efforts. They are also yet to clarify whether the shark spotted was a hammerhead, the same one tracked from Melanara beach as it sparked panic when it appeared on the shoreline on Saturday.

Local police initially confirmed in a drone sighting that the shark was just under seven feet in length, with a second suggesting it could have been a monstrous 10-footer. A council spokesman for Telde Council, the municipality Melenara beach comes under, said as the drama unfolded: “It’s important people stay calm and follow the instructions of the lifeguards and the authorities.”

Beachgoers flee in terror after mistaking whales for vicious attacking sharks

(SOLARPIX.COM)

A young girl who was in the water when the shark appeared told a local TV station: "The lifeguard started blowing his whistle and indicating everyone should get out of the water and I looked round and saw its fin." A friend added: "We saw the fin which was about seven inches out of the water and we began to move as fast as we could back towards the beach."

Hammerhead an grow up to 20 feet in length and weigh up to 1,000 pounds, and are considered harmless to humans. Only a few attacks have ever been recorded, and ocean biologists have said the recent sightings are likely no cause for concern.

Natalia Penza