Richard said: "In 38 years of fishing this is the first time we've ever seen a
basking shark.
Shane says: "Scotland's west coast is one of the best places in the world to see
basking sharks.
Basking sharks are often spotted lolling lazily at the surface, mouths agape, filter-feeding on zooplankton--hence the name "basking" shark.
"With so many people carrying smart phones these days, it's easy to go straight to our website, record your sighting and take a picture and upload it directly to our Facebook page, all within moments of seeing a
basking shark."
"We hope to develop a program of how best to move forward in working out just what is happening with populations of
basking sharks worldwide," said Marine Conservation International's Gore.
Many companies offer boat trips, especially to try to see the
basking sharks.
Some
basking sharks have distinctive markings which can help experts to identify individual creatures.
Basking sharks feed by stretching open their jaws and barreling through clouds of little water creatures such as copepods.
A team of scientists have discovered
basking sharks can jump as fast and as high out of water as great whites.
But that's just what was spotted off the coast of Baltimore, Co Cork, yesterday when these
basking sharks, dolpins and humpback whales appeared.
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Basking sharks: They get their name from being slow swimmers.
Snorkelling with
basking sharks off the Argyll coast beat potentially more dangerous experiences such as diving with bull and tiger sharks in Fiji and cage-diving with great whites in South Africa.