Basking shark sightings off the Cornish coast reach numbers 'not seen for many years'
Cornwall Wildlife Trust has described a string of recent encounters in the Duchy as 'jaw-some'
A recent string of basking shark sightings off the coast of Cornwall is being described as 'jaw-some'.
Cornwall Wildlife Trust says they haven not seen the creatures in these sort of numbers for many years.
The group shared this photo of one with its mouth gaping, with the caption: 'Basking sharks are BACK in Cornwall'.
Photographer Michael Amos**** is among the people who have enjoyed a recent encounter at Porthcurno.
He shared this photo on Twitter, where several of the gentle giants were circling a group of stand-up paddleboarders!
Kayaker and blogger Rupert Kirkwood has also shared incredible images from what he describes as 'The Day of the Sharks'.
Rupert spotted a basking shark on a recent trip to the far west of Cornwall, saying it is the first time he has seen one in South West England since 2013.
It even brushed up against his kayak!
Posting on his blog, The Lone Kayaker, Rupert said: "I approached very quietly and sat back to see what would happen. The shark came over to investigate, probably because my kayak is sort of shark-shaped, but an awful lot narrower and shorter than the creature that was pointing directly at me.
"I could see the gigantic white gape approaching through the clear water. The shark dipped under my kayak at the last second and scuffed the hull with its dorsal fin".
Rupert added: "An absolutely extraordinary creature. It is a gentle giant in the same manner as a Humpback whale which are also inquisitive about kayaks, but with a brain the size of a golf-ball and a worryingly blank look in its eye, it was just a little bit sinister".
Read more about Rupert's encounter or watch another recent sighting below...
Cornwall Wildlife Trust is urging people to record their sightings on the ORKS app and you can check how to do that** here. **