A “great white shark” fin spotted off the coast of a UK beach has terrified local schoolchildren.
But it turns out the fin was fake, placed in the water by an anonymous prankster.
It had been crafted out of insulation foam, painted dark grey and the attached wooden stick weighed down to keep it still, placed in the sea approximately 300 metres from the coast of Torquay, a popular Devon seaside resort.
A schoolteacher was the first to notice the bizarre stunt, who was leading a group of children on a sea safari trip with Devon Sea Safari.
It was then that the captain, Rob Hughes, inspected it with a pair of binoculars. Steering closer, he realised that it was a fake.
The culprit later admitted their prank in an anonymous post on Facebook, stating that the fin was intended for a “personal video.”
“I’ve had fun and got the community talking. I just want to reassure everyone that you have nothing to fear in the sea. The recent shark was supposed to be for a personal video I didn’t expect anyone to notice”, the Facebook post read.
Upon the sighting, Mr Hughes wasn’t “fooled.” He noticed that the supposed shark fin wasn’t moving, noting that he “wasn’t very impressed” by the joke.
“I wasn’t fooled for long. Lack of movement and no tail fin made me investigate further”, a Facebook post from Devon Sea Safari, run by Mr Hughes, read.
“Someone has gone to great lengths to create a hoax Great White Shark fin. I can’t say I’m very impressed.”
He remarked that “pranks” like this can impact the economy during the summer months.
“Pranks like this can have a very real effect on summer coastal business. Not to mention that it is basically deliberate marine littering.
“Whatever the reasons behind this stunt rest assured there has never been any evidence of Great Whites in South Devon.”
The Shark Trust reports that there have been over 100 claimed sightings of great white sharks in the UK over the last 10 years, but none of these have been confirmed.
However, research published this week determined that great whites could soon begin to appear off the coast of the UK as they migrate north from the Mediterranean in search of seals.
Founder of Ocearch, Chris Fischer, noted that populations of great whites previously tracked by his organisation have tended to move north in search of food.
“We believe they should be moving up past Brest [in Brittany] and Cornwall,” he told The Times.
Great white sharks are the largest predatory fish on earth, typically found mostly in cool waters close to the coast. They are often sighted near South Africa, other parts of Africa, California and New Zealand.
Juvenile great white sharks choose certain areas of the sea as “training grounds” where they can fine-tune their hunting skills
