Shark spotted on Spanish beach ensures that tourists at the hotspot are not allowed to enter the sea at the last sighting of the predators

Tourists and locals fearing for their safety have been banned from entering the sea after a shark sighting at a popular Spanish beach.

Coastguards raised the red flag and called emergency services after the fin of a two-metre-long blue shark was spotted above the waterline, dangerously close to shore.

Shocking video showed the shark patrolling near a boat in the water just off the coast of Arenal d’en Castell beach at around 3.30pm.

It is believed the swimming ban has been lifted, although the local council that manages the area has not yet made any official comment on social media.

The shark sighting is believed to be the first so far this year near a Costa beach.

In June 2018, a shark was spotted on the same beach when swimmers were also not allowed to enter the water all afternoon.

Arenal d’en Castell beach in Menorca, a popular destination where sharks also live

Blue sharks, one of the most common in Spain, have been blamed for a number of beach closures that have affected holidaymakers in Spain.

Last June, a tiger shark was spotted in Ciutadella harbour, Menorca, in a video showing the predator slowly circling boats moored as people leaned in to watch.

Two sharks were spotted in the area within days of each other, raising greater safety concerns.

Last summer, British holidaymakers in Malaga were also pulled from the water after a shark’s dorsal fin stuck out of the waves.

Dozens of people gathered on the beach near Torremolinos to catch a glimpse of the beast – the fifth sighting off the Spanish coast in a month.

When another blue shark was spotted off Arenal d’en Castell beach five years ago, a tourist could be heard saying in English as he appeared in the surf: ‘It’s coming. Oh my God, I think he’s dead.’

A woman, believed to be a relative, replied, “No, he’s not dead,” as other tourists began shouting in the background before adding, “Every time we go to the beach, something happens.”

Blue sharks rarely bite humans, but have been involved in several biting incidents, four of which are believed to have 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 stitched up for a wound in his hand.

First aid workers described the bite as ‘large’ and said it had come from the sea with blood pouring from the wound.

In June last year, an adult blue shark measuring around two meters in length caused panic at the Costa Blanca beach of Aguamarina in Orihuela Costa, south of Alicante.

Sharks are quite common in the region and often come to the coastline

Authorities were immediately called when a shark approached the beach yesterday afternoon

Swimmers were filmed trying to run through waist-high water to safety as it approached the shoreline.

Lifeguards blew their whistles to warn locals and holidaymakers of the big fish and urge them to leave the sea as quickly as possible.

One woman, believed to be an elderly person who was helped out of the water by Good Samaritans, is said to have had a panic attack after realizing the shark was next to her.

It washed up dead the next day at La Caleta beach in Cabo Roig, a few kilometers away.

The same day it emerged that the same shark species had been spotted in the port of Ciutadella in Menorca.