Spanish beach closed over ‘red flag shark alert’ as two hammerheads are spotted prowling near the coast
A POPULAR Spanish beach has been closed after two hammerheads sharks were spotted prowling near the coast.
The duo of predators were seen off the Gran Canaria at Patalavaca beach in Mogan on Sunday.
The couple of two-metre hammerhead shark pups were seen lurking in the shallow waters as they glided past the brave cameraman.
Footage showed the pair swimming through the waters near the beach near where visitors were seen bathing.
Following the shocking sighting, lifeguards have banned beachgoers from getting into the water “beyond knee height”.
Luckily, no one was injured and the sharks were filmed swimming off peacefully.
Local authorities issued a red flag alert after the sighting and are said to be monitoring the beach in case more sharks return.
No further information has been provided as to why the sharks appeared – but it’s thought the two young sharks may have been with their mother.
Another hammerhead shark was spotted in the days before – leading people to believe that they may have returned more than once.
According to local reports, some beachgoers believe the sharks are still in the area.
Shark sightings along the Canary Islands are quite common – with up to 86 different species of sharks and rays documented, such as the angel shark, hammerhead, sunray or whale shark.
It comes after a shark was spotted near a Malaga beach.
Emily McEwan, who quickly left the water at Torremolinos beach, told The Sun: “It was a little bit of a surprise because we’ve all seen films like Jaws but you never really expect yourself to be in the sea when you see that fin.
And last month, bathers were seen trying to run to safety through waist-high water as a shark neared the shoreline off a Costa Blanca beach.
The incident happened at Aguamarina Beach in Orihuela Costa, south of Alicante, in Spain, just days after a tourist was ripped apart by a shark in the Red Sea.
Hammerhead sharks
Hammerhead shark sightings are quite frequent off the Canary coast, especially in the summer.
The large creatures are consummate predators that use their giant heads to improve their ability to hunt prey.
The eyes of this shark are also on the outer edges of the hammer which gives them a vertical 360 degree view – meaning the hammerhead shark is able to see both above and below quite easily.
Their wide eyes give them better visual range than most other sharks which makes them much more dangerous and effective in their hunting.
Not only does the hammer act as an organ of balance, but its body seems to be specifically designed to twist and bend.
Fully grown, they can reach 20ft in length and can weigh 600lbs.
Most other species only grow to 13ft.
The lifespan for most Hammerheads is between 25 and 35 years, according to Sharksider.
Hammerhead Sharks love tropical, warm waters from all over the world.
They mostly stay along continental shelves and coastlines.
According to the International Shark Attack File, humans have been subjects of 17 documented, unprovoked attacks by hammerhead sharks.
No human fatalities have ever been recorded.