Moment eight divers come face-to-face with sharks in British waters

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

This is the incredible moment a group of divers swim 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 Sharks: Prionace glauca 

Blue sharks are considered to be dangerous and have been known to be responsible for attacks on ship and air disaster victims.

In the past five years four people have been killed by a blue shark.

The largest ever recorded was 12ft 6in, but females average 9ft and males 8ft.

The specie has a bright blue body with a white underside and a pointed snout with long pectoral fins (on the side of the body).

They are also recognisable with their triangular, serrated teeth and large eyes.

Blue sharks normally inhabit deep water in tropical, subtropical, and temperate seas worldwide.

They are voracious predators, feeding on schools of fish including anchovies, sardines, herring and squid.

They can also travel hundreds of miles each year gathering in large groups or packs. 

Females give birth to 25-50 pups, (although once, a litter of 135 individuals was recorded) after a gestation period lasting 9-12 months.

They are classified as Lower Risk by the 2000 The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 

 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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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



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