A large dark grey shark was spotted just 40 metres from the shoreline at St Ouen’s Bay in Jersey on Saturday, August 1.
RNLI lifeguards immediately rushed to clear the water and raise red flags across the beach.
The creature, estimated to be between 10ft and 12ft in length, was first noticed by a lifeguard who was paddling on a rescue board when something swam beneath him.
A second lifeguard then confirmed the sighting, and beachgoers were ordered to leave the sea.
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The shark species remains unidentified.
Swimmers were kept out of the water for roughly an hour whilst lifeguards conducted a thorough sweep of the area before allowing people to return.
Jesse Heddercott, a 16-year-old surf instructor who was giving lessons when the alert came, described the incident as unprecedented.
He said: “Nothing like this has ever happened in Jersey before, so it’s pretty crazy,” adding that the shark was likely “more scared of us than we are of them.”
His colleague at Jersey Surf School, Bob Powell, remarked that he had never witnessed the beach empty so quickly.
He told the BBC: “It was as if Jaws had come down.”
Jayne Hiron, who had been swimming nearby at the time, reflected afterwards: “Oh gosh, it could have been right where I was.”
Craig O’Neil, a lifelong visitor to the bay, pointed to rising sea temperatures: “The waters are heating up, tunas are coming in, so that’s probably what the sharks are after.”
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Fresh research has revealed that great white sharks are pushing further north than at any point on record.
Scientists at Ocearch have been tracking the predators, a nine-foot male named Quint and a ten-foot female called Bella, as they travel towards the northern reaches of Newfoundland in the Atlantic.
Quint has been heading north through the Strait of Belle Isle since July 26, while Bella was recorded in the same waters on June 29.
Roughly 2,000 great whites are estimated to migrate into Atlantic Canadian seas each summer, drawn by abundant prey and bolstered by conservation measures.
Data scientist John Tyminiki has suggested the trend may reflect a population that is “rebuilding” and “expanding their range” after numbers declined sharply between 1970 and 1990.
This northward drift is part of a broader pattern driven by climate change, according to marine scientists.
Great whites favour temperatures between 12 and 24 degrees Celsius, and Britain’s southern coastline already reaches up to 20 degrees.
The UK also supports a thriving grey seal population, one of the species’ primary prey animals.
Despite no confirmed sightings, experts caution against complacency.
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