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10/07/2009
Swimmers Stunned By Shark Sighting
A Wicklow swimming club race came to a hushed standstill as entrants spotted a large shark slowly glide past their race route.
The shark, which is reported to have been 10-12ft in length, appeared only minutes before the race was due to start, swimming in front of a slipway at the harbour.
Fortunately for the swimmers the lurking beast was revealed to be a harmless basking shark, which are fairly common around Ireland's coast.
After realising the species of the shark the race went ahead despite some of the more timid competitors pulling out.
The Basking Shark is the largest fish that occurs in Irish waters and the second largest fish in the world after the Whale Shark, and can grow as large as 12m, or 40 feet.
Record numbers of the sharks have been spotted off the coast of Britain and Ireland in recent weeks, as it is believed the recent warm weather boosted levels of their favourite food - zooplankton.
The sharks swim through the water with their mouths agape, filtering out the microscopic creatures that include fish and crustacean larvae.
A record number of sightings were recorded in June off the coast of Ireland, with 248 basking sharks counted last month by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.
(DW/BMcC)
The shark, which is reported to have been 10-12ft in length, appeared only minutes before the race was due to start, swimming in front of a slipway at the harbour.
Fortunately for the swimmers the lurking beast was revealed to be a harmless basking shark, which are fairly common around Ireland's coast.
After realising the species of the shark the race went ahead despite some of the more timid competitors pulling out.
The Basking Shark is the largest fish that occurs in Irish waters and the second largest fish in the world after the Whale Shark, and can grow as large as 12m, or 40 feet.
Record numbers of the sharks have been spotted off the coast of Britain and Ireland in recent weeks, as it is believed the recent warm weather boosted levels of their favourite food - zooplankton.
The sharks swim through the water with their mouths agape, filtering out the microscopic creatures that include fish and crustacean larvae.
A record number of sightings were recorded in June off the coast of Ireland, with 248 basking sharks counted last month by the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.
(DW/BMcC)
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Ireland WeatherThis Evening and Tonight:Showers, scattered in the evening, will clear by midnight leaving the night dry with clear spells. Perhaps a touch of ground frost. Cloud will spread east towards morning. Minimum temperature 2 °C.
