THREE BASKING sharks estimated to be more than 20ft long were spotted in waters off south Donegal yesterday, bringing to eight the number of shark sightings in the area over the weekend.
There were five sightings in the same waters between Creevy and Rossnowlagh on Saturday and Sunday.
Brothers John and Andrew Fenton from Ballyshannon, Roy Redpath from Kilbarron and local solicitor Niall Quinn got close up to a number of the species while out boating.
Businessman John Fenton said: “We saw a couple off Rossnowlagh and another couple about a mile out from Creevy pier. We got so close you could actually touch them from the boat.”
The sightings were welcomed by visitor Ciarán Clancy whose insistence that a shark passed within feet of him as he surfed off Rossnowlagh beach on Saturday was originally dismissed as a fanciful claim by local people.
Mr Clancy, from Harold’s Cross, Dublin, who was on a weekend visit, said: “I’d say it was no more than 10 feet away when I saw the fin. There was another surfer near me in the water, and we both made for shore as fast as we could. I didn’t know at the time that the shark was harmless.
“I was shouting to others to get ashore quick. I didn’t say why because I didn’t want to cause a panic.”
Experts say that, contrary to a perception that sharks are rare around Ireland, our waters are home to 13 shark species, of which the basking shark is the largest.
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group said: “In fact, the basking shark is very much at home in Irish waters.
“This is a species that can turn up anywhere, so keep your eyes peeled, especially on those calm early summer days, when you have the best chance of having an encounter with one of the least understood of our gentle giants.”