Shark alert on the Costa Blanca. In the shallow water, a two-meter-long blue shark suddenly appeared between bathers and came dangerously close to them.
Alicante – For bathers in Aquamarina Bay near the Spanish city of Alicante, the morning on Thursday (June 15) literally started with a huge scare. Because: A shark about two meters long had appeared in the water in front of the village of Campoamor. He swam around in the middle of the bathing area – very close to the bathers.
It’s a pleasant morning, some people are already in the water to catch up with the current heat in Spain to get a first cool down. But around 10 a.m. the triangular dorsal fin of the marine predator suddenly sticks out of the waist-deep water.
Spain: Shock for bathers on the beach near Alicante – two meter long shark in the water
It was so close to the beach that the people who were in the water there could even stand. Terrified, they ran out of the sea to get to safety. Because the shark had already come dangerously close to them. For a group of three people, the way to the saving shore was even blocked for a while because the animal – probably a blue shark – was between them and the sandy beach in the shallow water area, as video footage of the incident shows.
Lifeguards on site had the area evacuated as a precaution and informed the local police. According to media reports, none of the bathers were injured. According to media reports, however, an elderly woman suffered a panic attack.
Shark swims dangerously close to bathers, but then disappears again
It was all over after a few minutes: the shark left the bathing area on its own and swam away. The police then searched the area around the bay for the animal, but did not find it. The bathing beach was therefore not closed and remained open to swimmers. They gratefully accepted the offer: Just a few minutes after the shark encounter, the first beach visitors are said to have thrown themselves back into the waves, as various media reports.
Also off the coast of the Spanish A blue shark was sighted on the island of Menorca been. Just one day after the incident on the Costa Blanca, he was seen in the harbor of the Balearic island. However, scientists have not been able to determine that sharks are increasingly venturing near the coast, writes the Picture. On the contrary: Many species are much rarer today due to overfishing and are severely threatened, explains Dr. Simon Weigmann from the Elasmobranch Research Laboratory at the University of Hamburg.
Sharks are increasingly leaving their usual areas due to overfishing
However, overfishing could be a reason why the animals leave their usual sea areas and look for new hunting grounds. Some then also come close to cities, as they are attracted by fish residues that anglers or fishermen dispose of near the shore. But this waste also ensures an increased occurrence of prey – which can also attract sharks, Weigmann tells the newspaper.
Attacks by blue sharks on humans are extremely rare, says the scientist. The Florida Museum, which maintains a database of shark attacks, has recorded only 13 attacks on humans since 1580.
Attacks by blue sharks are extremely rare
In the case of the blue shark near Alicante, the reasons for its strange behavior are still being sought. Blue sharks actually prefer deeper waters and stay away from shore. Most often he stays in North Atlantic, which is currently causing concern due to record temperatures. Blue sharks are less common in the Mediterranean.
The animal on the Costa Blanca may have been sick or injured. It was found dead a few hours after it was sighted in the bathing bay. On the beach of La Caleta, the animal had apparently died between rocks near the shore.
Alicante: Blue shark may have been sick or injured and behaving unusually
Adult blue sharks can reach a length of about 3.40 meters. In some cases, they can also get bigger. The sighted animal was therefore a relatively small specimen. Blue sharks will eat almost anything they can find, mostly fish of all sizes, but also other, smaller shark species. Researchers recently filmed one in front of the Spanish city of Seville Shark species that was already thought to be extinct – a real sensation. To the legendary primeval shark Megalodon but that was not the case.
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