An RNLI lifeguard at St Ouen's Bay on Jersey's northwestern coast punched a suspected 12-foot shark as it swam directly beneath his rescue board, prompting a 45-minute closure of the popular beach on Saturday morning. The beach was red-flagged after the sighting, which occurred at approximately 10:40am, forcing all swimmers out of the water as a precaution.
Lifeguard's Close Encounter
Tom Rolls, an RNLI lifeguard, recounted the incident to the Bailiwick Express, explaining that his colleague Nick was paddling on a rescue board when the animal surfaced directly underneath him. "He even said he kind of punched it as he was paddling, so it must have been really close to the surface," Rolls said. "It was darkish grey, about 10 to 12 feet long, and then it swam away really quickly from under his board."
The species of the shark remains unconfirmed, but the sighting triggered immediate action. Lifeguards initially doubted the report until they received additional calls from a nearby beach reporting a shark "in the lineup" and from beachgoers who had spotted the fin. Unable to identify the species, they made the decision to red flag the beach, effectively closing it to the public.
RNLI Response and Precautionary Measures
An RNLI spokesperson confirmed the incident to Metro: "RNLI lifeguards at St Ouens Bay responded to a suspected shark sighting off the coast on the morning of Saturday 1st August, by one of our Lifeguards in the water. A decision was made to red flag the beach and get all members of the public out of the water as a precaution." The team then used a jet ski to survey the area, and after 45 minutes with no further signs, the beach was reopened. The spokesperson added, "There have been no sightings since."
Richard Peirce, a wildlife campaigner and author of books on sharks in British waters, told Metro that he doubts the sighting involved a Great White. "I haven't seen a good picture of a dorsal fin that might have enabled me to have a stab at the species," he said, noting that dorsal fins are as unique as human fingerprints. He suggested that a basking shark, the second-largest living shark, could be a possibility if the fin was large and close to shore.
Expert Opinion on Beach Closure
Peirce defended the lifeguards' decision to close the beach, saying, "Some people say the lifeguard who closed the beach acted hastily, but I don't agree with that. I don't know how crowded the beach was, but if there was a fin in the water and if that fin was going to cause people to worry, possibly even to panic, then it is going to be sensible to close the beach until the fin buzzed off." He warned of the risk of panic, recalling the classic Jaws scene where beachgoers rush to get out of the water, potentially endangering children.
Around 30 species of sharks inhabit the waters surrounding the British Isles, including the blue shark, mako, thresher, porbeagle (often called a miniature Great White), and the basking shark. Globally, sharks killed an estimated 10 people last year, while approximately 100 million sharks died at the hands of humans due to overfishing, Peirce noted. He emphasized, "Sharks are under far more threat from humans than humans are ever likely to be from sharks. We are pushing some species, Great Whites amongst them, towards extinction. There is no danger of human extinction at the hands of sharks."
Great Whites and UK Waters
Shark scientist Tom "The Blowfish Hird" added that Great Whites constantly follow food sources and could easily swim around the UK "in a matter of days." He cautioned that just because the species hasn't been definitively spotted in British waters "doesn't mean they're not here already."
The beach closure was lifted after no further signs of the shark were found, and no injuries were reported. The incident has sparked renewed interest in shark activity around the British Isles, with experts urging caution but also highlighting the greater threat humans pose to sharks.
