This is the stunning moment a group of divers swam with a school of sharks in British waters.
The group of eight men and women spent over an hour swimming alongside four 5-ft long blue sharks that they encountered 16 miles off Falmouth in Cornwall.
Underwater footage shows one of the sharks kept nudging the camera with its nose.
This is the stunning moment a group of divers swam with a school of sharks in British waters


The group of eight men and women spent over an hour swimming alongside four 5-ft long blue sharks that they encountered 16 miles off Falmouth in Cornwall
Mark Milburn, who runs Atlantic Scuba diving centre in Penryn, Cornwall, chartered a fishing boat Anglo Dawn of Falmouth, for the expedition.
They lured the sharks towards the boat by throwing chum – chopped up fish guts – into the sea. Mr Milburn, 55, said the group felt safe in the water as the sharks are known to be docile.
The predators, which feed mainly on fish and squid, rarely attack humans and there has never been a recorded incident of an unprovoked attack in British waters dating back to 1847 when domestic records began.
However, according to the Florida Museum, there have been 13 blue shark attacks globally of which four were fatal.
Widespread fishing poses a risk to the population although the sharks’ wide range buffers it from the effect of heavy fishing pressure. Despite this, population declines have been noted.
Its flesh is not highly valued but its fins are, meaning many Blue Sharks are finned at sea and subsequently discarded.

Blue shark prefer a habitat of deep, cool waters, making it an epipelagic species. The recent heatwave is believed to have resulted in a boom in their numbers this year

Blue sharks are found off the coast of every continent but Antarctica and will swim thousands of miles to find food or for mating purposes

Inside a shark’s mouth: Underwater footage shows one kept nudging the camera with its nose
He said: ‘It was a great trip and everyone enjoyed interacting with the sharks.
‘Although it is their feeding season and they are looking for food, we never felt in danger. They were more inquisitive than anything else.
‘I’ve seen blue sharks on two previous occasions but have never got pictures of them interacting with people in this way.
‘Although they’re not hugely common, most trips like this one organised specifically to find them, are successful and go off without a hitch.’

The predators, which feed mainly on fish and squid, rarely attack humans and between 1580 up until 2013, the blue shark was implicated in only 13 biting incidents, four which were fatal

It is believed that around 10 to 20 million blue sharks are killed each year as a result of fishing

Their skin is then used for leather, the fins for shark-fin soup and the liver for oil
Also on the trip was Felicity Flashman, 24, who captured video footage of the encounter. She added: ‘It was amazing to get so close and see the sharks for the very first time.
‘Everyone felt very safe and the worst thing we had to deal with all day was just a bit of seasickness.
‘The sharks were very inquisitive, especially about my camera lights, and one even bumped his nose after he got a bit too close.’
Blue shark prefer a habitat of deep, cool waters, making it an epipelagic species. The recent heatwave is believed to have resulted in a boom in their numbers this year.

Mark Milburn, who runs Atlantic Scuba diving centre in Penryn, Cornwall, chartered a fishing boat Anglo Dawn of Falmouth, for the expedition

They lured the sharks towards the boat by throwing chum – chopped up fish guts – into the sea. Mr Milburn, 55, said the group felt safe in the water as the sharks are known to be docile
They can be found as far down as 350m from the surface in more tropical waters, but will sometimes come close to shore in more temperate waters.
They are found off the coast of every continent but Antarctica and will swim thousands of miles to find food or for mating purposes.
Experts also believe that with mackerel being over-fished in the Atlantic, the sharks are moving closer to the shore in their hunt for food.
Along with porbeagles, blue sharks are the most common shark species found in British waters.
They can grow up to 12ft long and are listed as a near-threatened on the IUCN red list.

Blue sharks can grow up to 12ft long and are listed as a near-threatened on the IUCN red list