It must be getting warmer

Ian Austin · 12 May 2004, 23:04

Hi
I was taking a customers boat from Brixham to the river Dart tonight i spotted something in the water, so i went and investigated, sorry for the poor quality but i only had the camara that is in my phone to take these.

Ian Austin · 12 May 2004, 23:06

Ian Austin · 12 May 2004, 23:10

I was about 15 ft away when i took this.
A basking shark and a baby zig zagging closely behind.

Rupert Bear · 13 May 2004, 00:09

Do you not get these in your area? We have lots of these basking sharks up here every summer by this. we can get very close to them with care, usually by going up in front of them and switching off the engine so they swim right past the boat. Once even right between two boats only 4 or 5 yards apart. If you make any noise or the engine is going they tend to turn away.
Are you sure it is not the dorsal and tail fin of one shark rather than two? Did you get close enough to make out the second one?

Keith Hart · 13 May 2004, 06:35

Hi Ian

Yes it is getting a bit warmer and the Basking Shark sightings are on the increase. Lucky you had a phone camera with you. How long do you estimate the shark was?

Oh, yes, it was one shark by the way. The first bit was its nose, the second its dorsal fin and the third its tail fin. See attached picture. They swim along at a leisurely pace with their nose just poking out of the water.

You can report your sighting here: http://www.mcsuk.org/

You may be interested to take a look here as well: http://baskingsharks.wildlifetrusts.org/

Thanks again for the photos.

Keith Hart

Rogue Wave · 13 May 2004, 09:22

Brilliant Ian it's always a magical moment when you observe a sea creature. I saw a Sunfish off Ireland once which was a very calming experience.

When I fist saw the dorsal fins I thought it was a boat broker and a trainee

swginn · 13 May 2004, 13:49

Rogue, whereabouts in Ireland did you see the sun fish. I've seen several now just off Baltimore Harbour? Very relaxing to watch, especially when the sun is shining.

Rogue Wave · 13 May 2004, 13:58

I love Baltimore and the coast around it.

I saw the Sunfish on the way round from Dublin (Dun Loaugharie) to Killmor Quay and it was about half way round so that must make it time to look at the chart!

I'll be back it was Wicklow/Arklow sort of Area. The Sunfish was so laid back ( laid out more like) we got to about three feet away from it in the rib and it didn't move

Mark Halliday · 13 May 2004, 14:33

Ian
Met one about 10 years ago off Start Pt. Might have been the same one, they don't go very fast!
15-18 ft long at a guess. We were sailing at around 5 kts and passed 30 ft from it. There was a big swell running and at one point we were in a trough and the shark was above us at the crest. It was back lit then and you could really se the size of it. Fantastic. Right up there with the school of dolphins we saw half way to Ireland once.

Ian Austin · 14 May 2004, 23:16

Hi all
R/Bear, only ever seen one other outside Plymouth breakwater, i was in the flybridge of a 37 ft er and looked right down on it, clear as a bell and that was nearly half the lengh of the boat.
Keith,

i am thick as f### although it was calm i didn't want to get to close and disturb it, i was in a 30 ft er and no flybridge, can't think of any more excuses.
Rouge, if it was boat brokers out there, i think i could have walked to Dartmouth as there would be so many of them.
Mark, They don't go very fast at all even the 30 ft hard boat i was driving managed to over take it, ahhh Start point , thats got to be good on a windy day, still wet to try.

geoff · 15 May 2004, 08:38

We had some great sightings last summer in Scotland just north of Tobermory. Several basking sharks over 20' and Minke whales. As someone has already said, approach slowly and switch off your engine and wait for them to come to you. We had one brush its dorsal fin along the side of the boat and my teenagers stroked its fin as it went past. There was a whale watching boat next to us. They asked the length of our RIB. When I replied 19', they told us we had just seen a 25' basking shark! I managed to catch it on a (very shakey) video clip.

Matt · 15 May 2004, 09:27

I saw the title to this thread and thought it was gonna say it must be getting warmer cos the hardboaters are going out.

Ian Austin · 16 May 2004, 20:15

Hi Madmat
as well as being warm it would have to be flat as well, so there must have been a couple out this weekend.

Matt · 16 May 2004, 20:56

I think you'll find that the hardboats took the biggest waves the fastest today.

Richard B · 16 May 2004, 22:08

Considering that you've got a 10m(?) boat and 2x 240hp(?) motors, and you were in the company of 5 to 6m RIBs, I would jolly well think so!

Anyway, how much do you charge to spend a day crewing on Distant Grumble, Mat?