Kayaker’s close encounter with 8 massive sharks feeding in Ireland is caught on video
A successful day in the ocean typically doesn’t involve any marine animal that might mistake you for a snack. But for one kayaker paddling off the southern coast of Ireland, sharing the waters with massive sharks is considered a day well spent.
Underwater video shows “at least eight” sharks feeding with their 3-foot-wide mouths open just under Paul Clearly, according to Storyful, who said he was in search of them on April 21 near Galley Head in Cork.
Yet, what appears to be a school of predatory beasts is really just a harmless bunch of gentle — yet hungry — giants.
The species seen circling Clearly’s kayak is the basking shark, the second largest fish in the ocean after the whale shark, that can grow up to 45 feet long and weigh as much as 10,000 pounds.
Scary for some, but mesmerizing for others, these sharks spend their days swimming near the ocean’s surface with their incredibly large mouths gaped open, filtering seawater for zooplankton smaller than an aspirin; in an hour, they can filter up to 4 million pounds of water.
Although basking sharks don’t prefer meat, they still pose some danger to people. Their sandpaper-like skin has been known to hurt divers and scientists who’ve brushed against the beasts’ bodies.
The sharks’ skin is covered in dermal denticles, which look like tiny V-shaped scales typical of other fish, except these are “about as hard as granite and as strong as steel,” according to the Canadian nonprofit ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research.
Their actual purpose: to “decrease drag and turbulence” in the water, allowing sharks to swim faster and more quietly. These sturdy scales have even inspired Olympic designers to make swimsuit fabrics that improve swimmers’ speed.
Basking sharks are often seen traveling in groups that can reach up to 100 or more, according to the Florida Museum, so the school of eight that Clearly captured on video is a normal site to see.
The species used to be hunted worldwide for their oil, meat, fins and livers. Most fishing has come to an end, except in China and Japan.
