Tourists and locals who fear for their safety have been banned from entering the sea due to the sighting of a shark on a popular Spanish beach.
Coastguards raised the red flag and called emergency services after a blue shark’s fin was spotted seven feet above the waterline, dangerously close to shore.
A shocking video showed the shark patrolling the water near a boat, off the coast of Arenal d’en Castell beach, around 3:30 p.m.
The bathing ban is believed to have been lifted, although the area’s council has yet to make any official comment on social media.
The shark sighting is believed to be the first so far this year near a beach on the Coast.
A shark was spotted on the same beach in June 2018, when swimmers were also banned from entering the water for the entire afternoon.
Tourists have been banned from swimming at the beach following a sighting on Monday.
Arenal d’en Castell beach in Menorca, a popular destination that is also home to sharks
The blue shark, one of the most common in Spain, has been blamed for a series of beach closures that have affected tourists in Spain.
Last June, a tiger shark was seen inside the port of Ciutadella in Menorca, video showing the predator slowly circling moored boats as people leaned in to watch.
Two sharks were spotted within days of each other in the area, raising wider safety concerns.
Last summer, British tourists in Malaga also had to get out of the water after the dorsal fin of a shark was seen sticking out of the waves.
Dozens of people gathered on the beach near Torremolinos to catch a glimpse of the beast – the fifth such sighting off the Spanish coast in the space of a month.
When another blue shark was sighted on the beach of Arenal d’en Castell five years ago, a tourist could be heard saying in English, as it appeared in the waves: “It’s coming.” Oh my god, I think he’s dead.
A woman, believed to be a relative, responded: “No, she’s not dead,” as other tourists began shouting in the background before adding: “Every time we go to the beach something happens.”
Blue sharks rarely bite humans, but have been involved in several biting incidents, four of which are said to have ended fatally.
A blue shark was blamed for attacking a tourist in Elche, near Alicante, in July 2016.
The victim, 40, was rushed to hospital and received stitches on a wound to his hand.
Lifeguards described the bite as “large” and said he had come out of the sea with blood dripping from the wound.
In June last year, an adult blue shark measuring about two meters caused panic on Aguamarina beach, on the Costa Blanca, in Orihuela Costa, south of Alicante.
Sharks are a fairly common sighting in the region and often come close to shore.
Authorities were immediately alerted when a shark approached the beach yesterday afternoon.
Beachgoers were filmed trying to run to safety through waist-deep water as it approached the shore.
Lifeguards blew their whistles to warn locals and tourists about the big fish and urged them to get out of the sea as soon as possible.
A woman, believed to be an elderly person being helped out of the water by good Samaritans, is said to have suffered a panic attack after realizing the shark was next to her.
He was found dead the next day among the rocks on La Caleta beach in Cabo Roig, a couple of kilometers away.
On the same day that it was known, the same species of shark had been sighted inside the port of Ciutadella, in Menorca.