- The shark was seen on Monday at Porto de Bares beach in La Coruna
A ten-foot shark caused panic among sun-seekers on a packed Spanish beach after coming near the shoreline as they cooled off in the sea.
Tourists and locals made it to the safety of the sand before taking videos of the big fish gliding through the turquoise blue water.
But despite being inches from the creature they had no need to worry as it was later identified as a harmless basking shark which is an endangered species.
The drama happened just after 5pm on Monday at Porto de Bares beach near the town of Manon in the Galician province of La Coruna.
Local mayor Alfredo Dovale said he couldn’t remember seeing a shark of its type so close to the shoreline and said he thought it was related to the higher water temperatures.
A shark caused panic among sunseekers on a packed beach in La Coruna, Spain, after coming near to the shoreline
Tourists and locals made it to the safety of the sand before taking videos of the big fish
Beach-goers can be seen watching the shark in amazement and taking videos from the shore
He added: ‘With the way it was moving, it looked disorientated or even ill.’
It was spotted again on Tuesday but further away from the shoreline.
Late last month a 24-foot basking shark, the second largest shark species, washed up on a beach in the Scottish village of Maidens in Ayrshire.
A forklift had to be brought in to remove it from the beach. It had a rope caught between its mouth and wrapped around its tail.
Earlier this week scientists captured the shocking moment a boat collided with a basking shark off County Kerry in Ireland hours after it had been tagged.
The animal was identified as a harmless basking shark which is an endangered species
Researchers said afterwards they believed it was the first ever video of a shark or other large marine animal being struck by a boat.
It is not clear whether the 22-ft long female recovered from the strike.
Blue sharks, which rarely bite humans but have been implicated in several biting incidents, have forced the temporary closure of beaches on the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca in recent years.
In May coastguards hoisted the red flag and called the Spanish equivalent of 999 after the tell-tale fin of a seven foot blue shark or tintorera was seen above the water line at the popular Menorcan beach of Arenal d’en Castell.
The following month holiday beaches in Gran Canaria were closed after a hammerhead shark was spotted near the shoreline.
Most hammerhead species are considered harmless to humans and few attacks have been recorded, but they are aggressive hunters and their size and fierceness make them potentially harmful.