Blue shark seen swimming close to shore in Cornish estuary
Experts have described the sighting near Trelissick Gardens as very rare
Last updated 19th Aug 2022
A blue shark has been seen swimming close to the shore in a Cornish estuary, described by experts as an "incredibly rare" sighting.
British Divers Marine Life Rescue were called to an area of the Carrick Roads near Trelissick Gardens near Truro on Wednesday 17th August.
The BDMLR said it was concerning because the species is normally found well offshore, but believe it may have been following a food source.
A number of medics and vets continued to monitor the creature, last spotted in this area at lunchtime on Thursday.
The team have told us that the shark has not been since and it is hoped it has made its way out to deeper waters.
Posting on Facebook on Wednesday, British Divers Marine Life Rescue said: "Our Marine Mammal Medics in Cornwall had a more unusual callout this morning when a blue shark was reported swimming very close in at Trelissick Garden, near Truro!
"This species is normally found well offshore so it was concerning to find it quite a long way up Carrick Roads practically on the beach, and we were worried there could be an underlying health issue behind the behaviour.
"We had a number of medics and a vet monitoring it through the day along with the excellent staff at Trelissick who did a fab job of keeping people at a distance so as not to cause distress to the animal.
"During this time it briefly got stuck in the shallows but freed itself quickly again, but as the tide went out it eventually disappeared of its own accord.
"The good news is that besides this it appeared to be swimming strongly and with good coordination, so could have just been a case of curiosity and perhaps following a food source in further than normal.
"Our team remains on standby in case it reappears".