The first basking shark of the season has been spotted in Cornwall.
The pair of sharks were seen off the coast of the Roseland peninsula. It is thought to be the first sighting in the UK this year.
The sighting came as a surprise to wildlife watchers who had thought the persistently cold weather would put off the sharks from visiting UK waters.
The sharks were spotted by Richard Leaves of AK Wildlife Cruises which operates out of Falmouth.
Mr Leaves said: "Here was our first basking shark of the season and a big animal at that. A good seven to eight metres in length feeding about two feet down, mouth wide open.
"I feel very proud and very honoured that it should have popped up in our area first."
Mr Leaves was alerted to the presence of the sharks about three miles off St Anthony's Head after observing the body language of two herring gulls intently looking down at the sea.
He said the shark had a very distinctive notch out of its Caudal Fin which would help to identify the shark if seen again.
Rory Goodall from Elemental Tours in Penzance collates information on shark sightings and contacted the West Briton after being told of Mr Leaves' experience.
He believed the sighting off the Roseland to be the first in the UK this year.
He said the poor weather so far in 2013 had meant the sighting was later than usual as the first shark seen last year was on March 8.
Mr Goodall said there was always rivalry between Devon and Cornwall over the first sighting and was pleased to see Cornwall victorious this year.
A spokesman for the Shark Trust said: "With sea temperatures around the Southwest still below 10°C, phytoplankton growth is much reduced compared to this time last year.
"With less phytoplankton in the water column, zooplankton, in turn, is not present in the volume which usually draws basking sharks into surface waters to feed."
The pair of sharks were seen off the coast of the Roseland peninsula. It is thought to be the first sighting in the UK this year.
The sighting came as a surprise to wildlife watchers who had thought the persistently cold weather would put off the sharks from visiting UK waters.
The sharks were spotted by Richard Leaves of AK Wildlife Cruises which operates out of Falmouth.
Mr Leaves said: "Here was our first basking shark of the season and a big animal at that. A good seven to eight metres in length feeding about two feet down, mouth wide open.
"I feel very proud and very honoured that it should have popped up in our area first."
Mr Leaves was alerted to the presence of the sharks about three miles off St Anthony's Head after observing the body language of two herring gulls intently looking down at the sea.
He said the shark had a very distinctive notch out of its Caudal Fin which would help to identify the shark if seen again.
Rory Goodall from Elemental Tours in Penzance collates information on shark sightings and contacted the West Briton after being told of Mr Leaves' experience.
He believed the sighting off the Roseland to be the first in the UK this year.
He said the poor weather so far in 2013 had meant the sighting was later than usual as the first shark seen last year was on March 8.
Mr Goodall said there was always rivalry between Devon and Cornwall over the first sighting and was pleased to see Cornwall victorious this year.
A spokesman for the Shark Trust said: "With sea temperatures around the Southwest still below 10°C, phytoplankton growth is much reduced compared to this time last year.
"With less phytoplankton in the water column, zooplankton, in turn, is not present in the volume which usually draws basking sharks into surface waters to feed."
