Rare Blue Shark Spotted Feet From Onlookers At Balearics Port

This is the moment a rare blue shark is seen swimming just feet from onlookers at a port in Formentera.

The 1.7metre (5.6 pounds) long specimen (Prionace glauca) was filmed swimming at the La Sevina port on the Spanish island of Formentera on the afternoon of 12th January while amazed onlookers filmed it.

Biologist Manu San Felix was at the nearby Vellmari diving centre he runs and did not hesitate to jump into the water to take snaps of the harmless species.

He told local media: “I got into the water and saw that this blue shark, which is possibly a female and measured some 1.7 metres, had a hook stuck in its mouth, but it was totally calm.”

However, San Felix does not believe the animal had come to the port seeking help from humans to remove the hook but instead believes it came in search of food.

“The port, for these animals, is not a port but a cove with shallow water to enter in search of food. In fact, everyone knows there are squid, cuttlefish and even a shoal of barracuda.”

According to San Felix, the shark must have entered the port at night and become disoriented and unable to find its way out.

The biologist unsuccessfully tried to remove the hook from the shark’s mouth before trying to direct the big fish to the port’s exit.

According to San Felix, the shark’s cameo was a rare occurrence; not because it had entered the port, however, but because “99 percent of sharks in the Mediterranean have disappeared”.

The blue shark typically inhabits deep waters, migrates long distances, and is considered a near-threatened species. It rarely bites humans, but has been known to do so on rare occasions.