I was paddle boarding off Irish coast when I noticed SHARKS swimming below me – people were shocked that I stayed calm
WHEN you think of Ireland’s coast line, sharks are not the first thing to spring to mind.
But waters on the west coast of the country are actually often frequented by the large sea animals – as one Irish paddle boarder recently discovered.
Joshua Nueva shares adventure, wildlife and hiking content on social media under the username @joshuanueva.
Joshua regularly posts clips of Ireland’s stunning great outdoors and the animals that live in it.
And in one recent clip, followers were treated to up close and personal footage of basking sharks.
Joshua said he was paddle boarding in Keem Bay, Co Mayo when he looked down and noticed the sharks swimming directly below him.
In the footage, Joshua is seen glancing below the surrounding water, before putting his camera under the water, which revealed that the incredible creatures were just feet away.
Followers said they were shocked at how calm Joshua remained and that they would have been “terrified”.
But Joshua was right to stay calm – as the basking sharks are harmless.
The gentle giants, which typically grow to around 7.9metres in length, frequent Ireland’s coast line every year from around mid April to mid August to feed on plankton. They can be found feeding on their own, or in large groups.
Many of those who watched the video praised Joshua for his calm reaction.
One said: “I’m not having people saying ‘Nothing to fear, it’s harmless’. It’s a 30ft shark, most people jump if seaweed touches their feet in ankle deep water!!”
Another said: “I know they are harmless but I would still scream so loud when I see it”.
‘I WOULD HAVE JUMPED’
And one added: “How did you stay so calm? I would have jumped right off of my kayak”.
Meanwhile, another Irishman has told how he was “incredibly lucky” to experience swimming with basking sharks off the coast of Kerry.
Explorer Marius Monaghan posted an incredible clip to his Instagram @mariusmonaghan, of the moment he got to swim with the creatures.
Irish content creator Aidan Fitzgerald also captured some amazing drone footage of the sharks from above the water.
Darius said: “The word shark may strike fear but these basking sharks are harmless creatures that we are so lucky to have in Irish waters.
“I was incredibly lucky to have been in the water at Dunmore Head climbing sea stacks when half a dozen of these guys swam right up to me.
KEEPING DISTANCE
“As they are a protected species please give these animals space and under no circumstances interfere with them when they are breeding or resting.
“I met a team of researchers trying to capture the inside of basking sharks mouths so I was more than happy to share the underwater footage to aid their studies.
“Big thanks to @aidans_lens who was on hand to fly the drone to capture some amazing shots.”
And Marius told how the sharks “came right up to him”.
He told the Irish Sun: “I was in the water first and the sharks came up to me, I tried to keep a safe distance until one of them came right up to me.”