AFTER a suspected shark sighting led to the closure of St Ouen’s Bay earlier this month led to mass hysteria from national media outlets, questions have been raised about what creatures are lurking in the Island’s waters.
So, when a suspiciously shark-like fin was spotted poking out of the water at Greve d’Azette this week, beachgoers could have been forgiven for being on high alert.
Jersey Coastguard said that it had received several reports from Islanders about a possible shark sighting.
However, rather than a large great white swimming worryingly close to the shoreline, the Coastguard was quick to point out that the ‘mystery fin’ was in fact a seal.
Jersey Coastguard said: “Please do not be alarmed you do not need a bigger boat.
“The sighting has been confirmed as a seal resting close to the shore. This is common seal behaviour and no cause for concern”.
Maeve Valentina, who spotted the creature and posted pictures on social media, said that she and her son had seen something bobbing in the water while in the car.
She said: “I honestly thought it might have been someone with a fake fin just having a laugh, but my son is chuffed that it’s actually a seal as that’s not as worrying as a shark.
“He kept saying though that ‘he’s never seen anything like that in his life’ which is funny to me because he’s only three.”
Earlier this month, St Ouen’s became the first Jersey beach ever to be closed due to a suspected shark sighting, with swimmers asked to leave the water when the species could not immediately be identified.
When no further sign of the animal was found, the red flags were lowered and the bay reopened around an hour after the initial sighting. It is still uncertain what was spotted at St Ouen’s Bay, with speculation that it could have been a thresher shark, a small-tooth sand tiger shark, a dolphin or bluefin tuna.
