Basking shark spotted off Fast Castle

A local fisherman was hauling his creels today and a basking shark surfaced not far from the boat. Sadly, by the time he had finished with his creels the shark had sounded and did not resurface.

The shark was estimated to be about 15ft long, which is not actually that big for this particular species, as they can grow up to be about twice that length. It was following the tide line where the plankton usually accumulates. Its always amazing to think that these enormous creatures (the second largest fish in the world) live on mircroscopic animals that make up part of the plankton.

Although these gentle giants are a relatively common sight off the West coast of Scotland, they are not often seen off the East coast. So, a very exciting sighting...and well worth keeping your eyes peeled!