Beachgoers enjoying the warm weather yesterday, June 24, were shocked when they spotted a small shark swimming near the water’s edge.
Many people shared pictures and videos online of the creature swimming in the sea.
Sussex Wildlife Trust’s marine conservation officer, Sarah Ward, said it was likely to be a smooth-hound, which can grow up to 2ft 6ins long.
The shark fin spotted in Hove (Image: Mr Black)
The shark looks similar to a large catshark and is fairly common in the sea off Sussex, however not often so close to the shore.
Martina Eco, 38, from Hove, was among those to spot the shark when on the beach at around 8pm last night.
She said: “I was on the beach after a swim, drying off and enjoying the sun when I noticed a few people with their phones out. I thought it was weird, so got up and looked.
“Initially, I thought it was a motorised fish because of the way it was circling around.
“But as I got closer, staying on the pebbles not to disturb it, I heard people saying it was a shark.”
Ms Eco explained it was the first time she had seen a shark and found the experience “quite exciting.”
She added: “It was really interesting.
“There were quite a few children on the shoreline who were singing baby shark which was cute.”
Mr Black, who wished to keep his first name anonymous, also spotted the shark after his morning swim.
He said: “I had gone down to the beach quite early in the morning, about 8.30am, and I was going back to the shore when a man was aiming his phone camera.
“I thought he was looking at me, which was strange, but then I looked to my left and saw a fin poking out the water.”
The 32-year-old Brighton man described the shark to be moving in “tight circles” and was surprised to see it so near the shore.
Mr Black added: “I’d never seen anything like it before.
“I saw a flat fish once, but normally the water is too murky to see anything.
“It can’t have been more than two feet long but at the word shark you do go ‘oh’ and think is he going to give me a nip.”
Sussex Wildlife Trust confirmed that all UK sharks are fairly docile, which means they are highly unlikely to attack.
Smooth hounds are large, fairly slender sharks and are usually grey/brown.
At birth they are approximately 1ft 3ins, with males growing to around 2ft 4ins and females 2ft 6ins.
Their prey is primarily crustaceans but also includes cephalopods and bony fishes.