Basking Sharks

A basking shark can sometimes be confused with a great white shark, which causes fear and confusion for onlookers and swimmers! However, basking sharks are not as fat as great white sharks around the middle, and their teeth are a lot smaller (and mouths a lot bigger!). It’s common for the dorsal fin of a basking shark to flop on one side in adult basking sharks, and their snouts are pointed. The colour of a basking shark varies between dark brown, black and blue, depending on the individual, and their skin is very rough to touch.

Basking sharks grow to lengths of over 35 feet (10 metres) and weights of around 2000kg (that’s over 300 stone!). These beauties are HUGE! They are the gentle giants of the ocean, second in size only to the whale shark. A basking shark’s mouth alone can be up to 3 feet wide… that’s a great basking shark fact for you!

The Basking Shark is a seasonal visitor to British waters, migrating here between April and September each year.

But where are basking sharks found?

These gentle ocean giants can be found in all temperate oceans of the world but seem to prefer sea temperatures of between 8°- 14.5°C. During winter months, basking sharks migrate to deep, offshore waters in pursuit of zooplankton which is their favourite food. Many of them migrate south for winter, even crossing the equator in search of warm waters and bountiful feeding grounds. During the early spring and summer months, warmer water moves from the Atlantic into the coastal waters of the western UK and Ireland, encouraging greater marine productivity, particularly in places such as here in Cornwall. They prefer headlands, islands and bays with strong tidal flow where different masses of water meet and there is lots of plankton for them to feed on, making Cornwall amongst the best places in the UK to see basking sharks. Spotting Basking sharks in Cornwall is a unique and special experience, and you feel humbled and privileged to be witness to these beautiful giants!

The basking shark is the only species of shark which relies on passively moving water through its mouth to eat. The other two species of sharks which are filter feeders (whale sharks and megamouths) suck in their prey much like a vacuum cleaner. As the basking shark swims forward with its mouth open, water rushes into the opening and out through its gills. When feeding at the surface the basking shark typically swims with its mouth open for 30 to 60 seconds before closing its mouth and swallowing so yes, they do close their mouths.

Fear not, basking sharks are gentle creatures who feed on plankton. If a shark sees a swimmer or a diver, it’s likely that it will swim away. They couldn’t even begin to swallow something as large as a person – a basking shark’s throat isn’t wide enough. Also, basking sharks have tiny brittle hooked teeth which break easily, and gill rakers for filter feeding (not great big strong predatory teeth like the great white), so worry not – basking sharks cannot (and do not) eat humans!