A FAMILY fishing trip suddenly became reminiscent to a scene in Jaws when a huge SHARK circled a father and son's boat off the Cornish coast.
The 25ft-long giant appeared near the little fishing boat when it stopped in the water off Mullion.
The sinister shape of the dorsal fin slowly approached, cutting through the surface of the water as a huge shape came towards to boat.
The curious shark circled the small boat just below the surface before stopping feet away, and remained still in the water – giving those on board a good look at the large animal.
Despite its size the shark posed no danger as it was a harmless basking shark, one of the gentle giants of the deep.
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They are regular summer visitors to the waters off Cornwall but it is thought that the mild winter has seen them arrive earlier than in previous years.
The footage was filmed by Nicholas Casley, 58, who was out fishing with his son Thomas on Sunday.
The sharks were first spotted this year in late April in Falmouth Bay.
Last week a massive 25ft shark washed belly-up on rocks on the Cornish coast, allowing for a rare glimpse of a creature of the deep.
The massive shark, which was spotted floating upside-down, was believed to be a basking shark.
WHAT IS A BASKING SHARK?
The basking shark, or Cetorhinus maximus, is the second largest living fish – after the whale shark.
It is one of three plankton-eating sharks along with the whale shark and megamouth shark.
Adult basking sharks can reach 20-26 feet in length.
They are found in all the world's temperate oceans and feed at the surface of warmer waters.
They have huge mouths designed to filter water while feeding.
They are not aggressive and harmless to humans.
The animal was first spotted at Chapel Point, Mevagissey by photographer Matthew Facey using a drone around the area on Sunday.
Marine experts say that although basking sharks are a common sight in our waters, to see a dead one is a “rare opportunity”.
And a nine-foot long shark weighing 36 stone was last week reeled in off the Devon coast – and it could be one of the biggest of its type ever caught.
The massive female porbeagle was caught off Hartland Point on the north coast by Shaun Collins-Lyndsay and Dan Hawkins last Friday.
It took the experienced skipper and his crew almost two hours to reel in the nine-foot long beast, which weighed an estimated 36 stone (500lbs).
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