A WHOPPING 10ft shark terrified children after swimming into shallow waters in Cornwall.
The kids screamed in terror as they ran from the sea to their panicked parents after spotting a dorsal fin.
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The group of 30 youngsters were enjoying a dip at 9pm on Tuesday when they saw the creature 20ft away.
Luckily for the children, basking sharks are completely harmless to humans despite their huge size.
The young specimen in St Ives swam next to a harbour wall and beach.
Andy Narbett, 49, of Tiger Lilly Boat Trip St Ives took photos of the shark.
He said: “I had finished my trips for the day and was walking around the harbour front when I spotted the juvenile basking shark next to the harbour wall.
“It was incredible to see it so close and very rare as we haven’t seen any basking sharks for some years in the bay.
“The poor kids who were in the water must have only been 20ft from it.
“They didn’t realise it was harmless so they started screaming and got straight out of the shallow water.
“At a guess there were 20 kids playing on the small beach and eight in the water on paddle boards.
“I went on social media and joked afterwards that Jaws had entered the harbour!”
People took to social media to comment on the aquatic visitor.
Garson Bartholomew Williamson said: “We’re gunna need a bigger boat.”
Maxine Creedon Barrett said: “I’m glad we didn’t swim here today.”
Jez Searle added: “A basking shark! Beautiful animal and totally harmless. That would suggest that the water there is clean so it’s nice to see.”
Basking sharks – Cetorhinus maximus in Latin – pose no threat to humans and feed only on plankton.
They used to be fished for their meat, fins and liver oil until the species became protected in 1998.
They are Britain’s biggest fish and can grow to 40ft in length and can weigh over 10,000lbs.
They are the second biggest fish in the world after the whale shark.
They are one of only three shark species to feed on plankton and come in to shallow water in the spring and summer months to feed.
This comes after two men in Wales were circled by a 7ft shark in their fishing boat.
Ryan Baynes, 46, and Ashley Bragg, 40, were horrified when they saw the dorsal fin.
But worse was to follow when the pair realised they had only one oar to get them back to dry land.
Dad-of-four Ryan said: “As soon as we saw the fin, we panicked.
“The outboard motor wouldn’t start, we only had one oar and we were in all sorts of trouble.
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“We were about a quarter of a mile out and just began rowing for our lives. Luckily, the current helped us out.
“We definitely needed a bigger boat. An engine and another oar would have been helpful, too.”
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