A swimmer at a Spanish beach fled the water in panic after a fin was spotted approaching, but the creature turned out to be a 300kg tuna, not a shark. The incident occurred at Ancón beach in Marbella, where video footage captured the fin breaking the surface close to the shore.
Onlookers at the beach stepped out of the water and shouted warnings to nearby swimmers as the fin traveled quickly toward two individuals. When one man spotted the creature, he began swimming to the shore, but the animal followed him, causing the crowd to scream. As the man reached the beach, the animal surfaced, thrashing violently in the shallows.
Distressed Tuna Rescued by Beachgoers
Instead of a shark, a huge tuna was seen writhing in distress. Local reporters estimated the tuna weighed around 300kg. Later footage posted in a local Facebook group showed people helping the fish back into the sea using deckchairs and umbrellas, despite it bleeding from its gills.
Local reporters said it was likely that the tuna was injured by a fishing vessel, which had caused it to become disoriented and swim toward the beach. While sharks do live off the Spanish coast, they tend to stay far away from the beaches and hunt in deep waters. Similarly, adult tunas spend most of their time in deep water.
Great White Shark Breeding Concerns in the Mediterranean
A fear of sharks in the Mediterranean has grown after it was revealed that great white sharks could be breeding in the warm waters. In January, scientists said they believed great white sharks may be breeding in the Mediterranean after a juvenile was found by fishermen off the eastern coast of Spain. The creature, which was about 210cm long and weighed between 80kg and 90kg, was accidentally captured on a fishing vessel.
Breeding populations of great whites were thought to have disappeared from the Mediterranean some time ago, so the discovery of a young shark led scientists to investigate. They concluded that while the species remains a so-called “ghost” population in the region, it has not disappeared altogether.
Rare Sightings and Cultural Impact
Great white sharks gained notoriety in popular culture after Steven Spielberg’s classic Jaws broke box office records in 1975. They are most commonly found off the coasts of Australia, South Africa, and the west coast of the US. Sightings in the Mediterranean are rare.
The incident at Ancón beach highlights the occasional close encounters with marine life in popular swimming areas, and the swift response of beachgoers to assist the distressed tuna underscores the community's willingness to help wildlife in need.
