Else Beekman
Beachgoers at La Reya beach in Puerto de Mazarrón were startled on Thursday afternoon when a shark around two metres long approached the shore.
The sighting occurred at about 3.00 pm, prompting swimmers to rush out of the water as the animal’s dorsal fin became visible. Onlookers gathered on the sand to take photos while emergency services deployed a boat to guide the shark safely back into deeper waters, preventing it from becoming trapped in the shallows.
Not the first sighting in Murcia
Shark sightings are not uncommon along the Murcian coast. In June 2023, swimmers were ordered out of the water after a shark was spotted. Luckily, it swam away unaided shortly afterwards. In early 2024, municipal workers removed a 200-kilo dead shark from Rihuete beach, also in Puerto de Mazarrón.
Cases of mistaken identity also occur. In summer 2023, it turned out that what people believed to be a blue shark off La Manga turned out to be a tuna that had escaped from a fish farm.
Why do sharks approach the coast?
Marine experts say the cause for such encounters can be disorientation, the search for food, or sea currents pushing animals towards shallow waters. In the Mediterranean, species such as the blue shark (tintorera) and smooth-hound (cazón) are the most commonly observed near beaches.
Juvenile or weakened sharks may venture closer to shore to recover, although this increases their risk of becoming stranded.
Risk to swimmers
Specialists stress that most sharks found in Mediterranean coastal waters pose little danger to humans and rarely display aggressive behaviour. Nevertheless, the advise to swimmers is to leave the water immediately if they spot a shark and to wait for official confirmation that the area is safe.
Safety advice
If you see a shark, authorities recommend to remain calm and leave the water in an orderly manner. Furthermore, they have to alert lifeguards or emergency services. People should not attempt to touch or feed the animal. Also, approaching it in small boats is a bad idea, as this could cause it to feel threatened.
In the Mazarrón case, swift action by the emergency crew ensured the shark’s safe return to open sea. The incident serves as a reminder that the biodiversity of the Murcian coastline occasionally brings large marine species close to shore. However, mostly without harming people.
Source: El Tiempo
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