THIS is the dramatic moment an enormous shark was spotted near the beach in a popular Spanish tourist spot.
A viral video shows the colossal beast skulking around the waters just off the coast of Marbella.
On Instagram, Aqua Time Marbella, a water sports club, posted an amazing video capturing a massive basking shark swimming along the coast with remarkable clarity.
The team marvelled at the incredible rare close up sighting of the creature.
“Never in our 35-year history have we seen anything like it,” a member of the club’s team wrote.
To start with, the only thing visible is the shark’s fin as it breaks above the water.
But as the monster fish swims closer to the camera, its sheer jaw-dropping size becomes clear.
The hulking beast glides through the water, leaving onlookers stunned at its size.
But sunbathers and swimmers looking to enjoy the Spanish sun don’t need to be alarmed.
Basking sharks can grow up to an intimidating 12 metres in length, but they are not aggressive towards humans.
They are the second largest shark found in the ocean, with the biggest being the whale shark.
Their huge, gaping mouths might make them look scary, but they only feed on plankton and small fish.
Basking sharks can be found throughout European waters – including around the UK coastline.
Despite this, such close up sightings of these sharks are relatively rare.
But this is not the only recent basking shark encounter around Spanish tourist hotspots in recent weeks.
Last month, Spanish fishermen accidentally caught a 22ft basking shark in the north-eastern Catalonia region.
The startled fishermen brought it back to shore at Port de la Selva – about two hours drive northeast of Barcelona.
They alerted the area’s marine life foundation – CRAM – once they realised what they’d caught.
A widely circulated video on X captures the nerve-racking moment when the shark is hauled onto land, revealing what appears to be a fishing net caught around its tail fins.
However, the shark had died by the time they reached port.
Elsewhere, a group of fishermen wrestled a great white shark back into the water after it was caught in North Carolina.
It took the team 35-minutes to get the creature back into the ocean.
The fisherman who captured the video remarked, “Witnessing a 12-to-13-foot fish weighing between 1,400 and 1,800 pounds leap out of the water when it’s hooked is truly awe-inspiring.”
“There have been a few great whites caught in North Carolina. None of them have been as big as that one.”
