‘Shark’ sparks panic on Spanish beach as tourists scream at children to get out of the water
‘Shark’ causes panic on Spanish beach as tourists yell at their kids to get out of the water… but it’s not quite what it seems
- The large creature was seen in the ocean in La Antilla, Spain
- Panicked tourists could be seen warning their children to get out of the water
This is the dramatic moment when a fin emerged from the sea and caused panic among holidaymakers on a Spanish beach.
In the video, locals and tourists can be heard warning their children to get out of the water in La Antilla, Spain, while others run up and down the beach fearing a shark is about to attack.
The creature was filmed for over a minute as it flipped around between swimmers and juveniles on paddleboards before returning to the ocean.
It comes after a string of shark sightings near European beaches in recent weeks. On June 22, a tintorera or blue shark caused a panic at Aguamarina beach in Orihuela Costa, south of Alicante.
But in Tuesday’s dramatic images from La Antilla, all was not as it seemed.
Locals and tourists can be heard warning their children to get out of the water in La Antilla, Spain, as others run up and down the beach in fear of a shark that was about to attack
Police later described it as a Cuvier’s beaked whale and urged people to “keep calm.”
Police said, “It’s not a shark and you won’t see Steven Spielberg on the shoreline with his camera. It’s not an orca either.
“The animal that visited us appears to be a Cuvier’s beaked whale, which holds the record for deep-sea diving, but is highly sensitive to sonar. It may be disoriented and in danger of stranding.’
The Cuvier’s beaked whale is one of the most commonly spotted beaked whales despite its deep water habitat.
The master divers are known to dive to depths of about 3 miles.
The species also holds the record for the longest dive. According to scientists, a whale went three hours and 42 minutes without gasping for air.
On June 28, another blue shark was spotted off one of the docks on the island of Arousa in the Galician province of Pontevedra.
The creature was filmed for over a minute as it flipped between swimmers and juveniles on paddleboards before returning to the ocean
But police later described it as a Cuvier’s beaked whale and urged people to ‘keep calm’
The Cuvier’s beaked whale is one of the most commonly spotted beaked whales despite its deep water habitat
Footage showed the shark fin appearing above the waterline as it approached a fishing boat.
Blue sharks rarely bite humans, but have been involved in several incidents, four of which have reportedly ended fatally.
A blue shark was blamed for an attack on a holidaymaker in Elche near Alicante in July 2016.
The 40-year-old victim was rushed to hospital and received stitches to a wound in his hand.
First aiders described the bite as “major” and said he emerged from the sea with blood flowing from the injury.
In August 2018, tourists fled the sea in panic after a blue shark, one of the most common in Spain, showed up off the overcrowded Mallorcan beach of Calas de Mallorca on the island’s east coast.
In April, a six-foot-long shark, also believed to be a tintorera, was filmed in the surf off Majorca’s southeast coast at a nearby beach called Cala Llombards.