Tourists evacuated at British holiday hotspot after 6ft 6ins long shark prowls shoreline

A 6ft 6ins shark was spotted on the coast of a holiday hotspot, with tourists told to keep clear of the water as emergency services rushed to the scene to steer the shark into deeper waters

Tourists at a British holiday hotspot were evacuated after members of the public spotted a 6ft 6ins long shark prowling the shoreline. Onlookers dubbed it a “huge beast” as people were told to keep away from the waters. Lifeguards were on hand to keep people from entering the ocean while emergency services made their way to the scene.

The horrifying sighting has left some tourists saying they will no longer be holidaying in the area. Others are losing “all desire to go to the beach” because of frequent sightings of sharks and jellyfish. The recent sighting is believed to be a shark two metres in length.

Beachgoers at the La Reya Beach in Puerto de Mazarrón, Spain, were thankfully uninjured by the shark, which emergency services managed to lure back into deeper waters and away from the holiday hotspot.

The shark was at risk of beaching being so close to the water, with an emergency services boat tasked with bringing it back out to sea last Thursday (August 7).

It is a concern to some – as up to 17million Brits head to the country for their summer holidays every year.

The clip was shared on TikTok, where it went viral with 940,000 views and thousands of comments from members of the public swearing off any further trips to the beach.

One local said: “Between jellyfish and sharks, I’ve lost all desire to go to the beach.” Another added that the shark was, thankfully, not a dangerous predator but was in danger of beaching.

They wrote: “It’s a blue shark and does not normally attack humans.”

However, it still provided quite a fright for those swimming at the beach. Miguel added: “I was swimming there in the bay, I turned around and that blue shark appeared next to me.”

Alfred said: “It was probably in some kind of trouble, that’s why it was swimming around.”

Ana says the incident has put her off any further trips to the beach. She said: “I’m not going to Puerto de Mazarrón any more.”

In early 2024, a dead shark weighing 200kg washed up in Puerto de Mazarrón. Marine experts said local shark sightings may be caused by strong currents, disorientation, injury, or the animal searching for food. This particular shark was saved from being beached by emergency services.

In the Mediterranean, species such as the blue shark and the dogfish are the most commonly sighted sharks. Local authorities advised residents to calmly leave the water if they sight a shark, and immediately notify lifeguards or the emergency services.

Shark sightings in the UK are rare but not impossible. Last year, a walk along the coast in West Sussex for Emily and Dan Rushton led to them discovering what they falsely believed was a “great white shark”.