The video footage was so obviously a basking shark - as some people have observed, the dorsal fin on the two sharks in question are different. Also the movement & behaviour of the shark in the footage was characteristic of a basking shark.
I am no expert but take a healthy interest in the creatures that inhabit our planet, take a few minutes to do some research on the internet, there is a great deal of info available.
The great white inhabits many oceans around the world & by nature is nomadic, they are present in the Med, although this is played down by the authorities, so not to affect tourism. I have no doubt in my mind that great whites occasionally visit UK waters, but I think that this is a case of mistaken identity, most reports have been of basking sharks because of their size & surface feeding habits. Similar sitings were probably of porbeagle sharks or the rarer mako shark, both of these are predatory sharks, similar in shape to the great white & exist in our waters.

Lee Hardy, Gravesend Kent, UK

The video footage was so obviously a basking shark - as some people have observed, the dorsal fin on the two sharks in question are different. Also the movement & behaviour of the shark in the footage was characteristic of a basking shark. I am no expert but take a healthy interest in the creatures that inhabit our planet, take a few minutes to do some research on the internet, there is a great deal of info available. The great white inhabits many oceans around the world & by nature is nomadic, they are present in the Med, although this is played down by the authorities, so not to affect tourism. I have no doubt in my mind that great whites occasionally visit UK waters, but I think that this is a case of mistaken identity, most reports have been of basking sharks because of their size & surface feeding habits. Similar sitings were probably of porbeagle sharks or the rarer mako shark, both of these are predatory sharks, similar in shape to the great white & exist in our waters.

Lee Hardy, Gravesend Kent, UK

Ha ha! Ed from London - you've been had.

"Dr Kinesh Bombaski, Glascow = Basking Shark, Mob Cows Lied (anag.)"

For the record, I think that the fin that featured on the front page of the Sun is a basking shark fin. It looks nothing like the fin of a great white (see Francisco's comment for links).

Owen Jones, Sunninghill, Berks

i think that killing sharks is wrong it is mating season for the sharks so they have come in land because they are mating they are animals at the end of the day i do not like sharks that much but if u leave them alone they will not do nothing to you

hayley, croydon, london

Well to Craig, its not just us Brits assuming the first shark we see is a great white. Sharks have been reported off that coast for years and we've always been aware they were there, it's the fact that experts, from Australia might i add, admitted that there was a strong possibility it could be a Great White, from the shape of the dorsal fin and the flick of the tail.
So before you start calling us dumb maybe you should get all the facts eh?

Helen, Guildford, England

after googling basking shark fin and great white shark fin i was more certain than not that the spotting is a basking shark due to that the fin on the picture above is more rounded and the side look smoother and on the great white it is more upright with more of a point and on of the sides look very straight

d'ont beleive me ! look for your self google 'basking shark fin' and great white shark fin' i will definetly cary on surfing at porthmeor beach 1 sharks not going to stop me if i die i want to go in style

Rebecca Lucy, st.ives cornwall, uk

i think they should kill that bloomin' shark!

sandy, ile of white,

well england and the deadly great white shark ummmmmmm ok and im an alien what are they thinking for gods sake a great white in england is like david beckham as a singer i dont think so here in australia we get sharks and more sharks and then great white sharks but everyone keeps swimming you brits are a bunch of dumb people god help the sharks they are in the dumb area of the ocean

craig, trang, thailand

I have just read another aritcle on a shark spotted off the cornish coast in `95. This shark turned out to be a Basking shark. The shark in question this time is more likely to be a Shortfin Mako. Which comes from the Lamnidae family (mackeral sharks) which the great white is also part of. Makos` can grow as large as 13ft (4 metres). The fin in the picture is not that of a basking shark. Also, in the video clips, the shark is quite quick and rapid and puts its head above water. A basking shark is farely slow moving. It moves just below the surface to feed on plankton. The similarities between the Mako and Great White are close. Whatever it is, it will soon move on.

Simon Abbott, Croxley Green, Rickmanswoth.,

Im an Australian who has lifeguarded in Cornwall for the past few seasons & spent numerous time in around the water all around the globe. At my home beach in Australia this year we had 3 confirmed Great White Shark (GWS) sightings last season; as in the 3 sharks were actually caught dead in the nets that are placed several hundred metres off shore. This was NOT a common occurence in our area, although juvenile GWS's are known to migrate as far North as the Great Barrier Reef (see the CSIRO study where they tagged a Young GWS) this species is rarely seen in Sydney.
The general public & local swimmers and surfers were aware of the sharks presence, as were the media, however, it was dealt with it in a much more responsible & mature manner.
The latest Cornish sighting is a blatantly unidentifable case, the 'shark' could be a number of different species and no cause for alarm. Interestingly, this 'shocking story' seems to pop up every Summer in C'wall...Who are the real predators???

J Seaton, Sydney, NSW/ Australia

i agree that the first picture of the shark was infact a basking shark, the second is definatley chasing some seal/dolphin which the basking shark does not which would indicate that it is something more but a local fisherman who has had many dealings with both porbeagles and basking sharks has a photo of a shark which was taken at the end of june...this is no shark like you have ever seen before in these waters, it has been in the local papers this week and definatley looks like a great white, it is a head shot and is well worth a look, no one can deny that this is anything less than a white shark. The local tourist bosses should stop denying this and stop worrying about it before they do turn it into something out of jaws by scaring all the public.There really is no point in us worrying about this situation though, it will not keep me out of the water nor my children for that matter, if your times up, at least you can go out in style!!!

Mel, newquay, uk

I belive this is possible that it could be a great white . Dew to the fact that these fish are able to swim vast distance across the ocean. Also with climate change and possible food suply falling short in other parts of the world these fish are inteligent . And may well look for other alternative areas to hunt and breed these are amazing animals and if it proven that these are the so called man eating species carcharodon-carcharias or other known as the great white we should act on the fact that they have and were around before us and the dinosaurs . I belive that we have to protect these animal from us the human race.

luke taylor, leicester, uk

Living in Australia, close to the beach i swim all the time. With the reef only about 200 meters away from the shore, it is a haven for a variety of "nasties" in the water, including a well know hunting ground for hammerheads, possible one of the most aggressive of our sharks here in Australia. Shark sightings over here are a regular things, but this does not deter beach goers. The odds of a shark wanting to munch down on you are quite slim, even in the shark infested waters in which i frollic on a regular basis. Thus i see no reason for the British public to go up in arms about swimming in the water really 1 maybe 2 sharks is the least of your worries. I would me more worried about the reason why the shark is there.... warmer waters? changes in current? mmmm global warming me thinks.... perhaps thats the real issue here. Be thankful that your northern beachs are not infested with salt water crocs... who occassionally eat a German tourist or 2

Mark, Secret Harbour, Mandurah, Western Australia

Great White sharks are not mindless animals and if they wanted to feed, the two people in the water would not be here today. It is a fact that Great White sharks travel to the Mediterranean to give birth and then venture back out to sea, this may be a case of the shark getting lost, due the warm currents. But as another person had comments basking sharks are regulars of the coast of Cornwall but sharks are in every sea in the world so rather than panick we should educated ourselves and consider protecting our beaches.
Mako sharks are also seen of Cornall and are cousins of the Great White, yes also a maneater but with a less terrible reputation and my final thought, it REMOVE that terrible picture which is totally unnecessary. Thank you

Cherryanne Serino, Bedford, Beds

Take 2 mins and Google 'basking shark fin' and 'great white shark fin'. I'm no expert but i think its pretty obvious that the photo above is a basking shark. A great white does has a straight back to the fin not curved like above.

Matt Green, Belfast,

These reports do not suprise me,living in south wales and surfining llangennith the last two weekends i have been surfing at 5am, 300m off shore there were small fish clearing the surface followed by larger splashs but this could simply be seals hunting. then a week later same beach 5am a seal popped its head up no more than 25 ft away winked at me an shot off until i get bitten who cares, if you survive what a story for the paper!

joe neilson, barry,

is just as unlikely as seeing a crocodile in the sea off Australia ! says Mrs Maggie Snook, wool wareham, Dorset UK

point is lady they do spot crocs in the sea fact !

but im still not convinced !

steve, isle of wight, uk

I'm not an expert on sharks, but I've read a little and I've read some of the comments put forward by experts during this story. I don't know if this is or isn't a great white shark - if the footage isn't good enough for experts to tell then I don't know how anyone else thinks they can do any better - but everyone must surely agree that there is a definite possibility of Great Whites in English waters, so why is it so difficult to believe that this might be one?

Edward Avern, Berkhamsted, England

Great whites and their close relatives, Makos, have always swam around Cornish waters. Just ask former Mylor fisherman and shark hunter Robin Vinnicombe who used to land 10 foot+ Makos in Falmouth, caught just 10-20 miles off the Lizard Peninsula. He had an epic 7 hour battle with a Great White 30 years ago...
So nothing new in St. Ives if it is a GWS. Show him the videos and he'll identify this shark in seconds.

P. I. Lemoine, Truro, Cornwall, Cornwall (GB)

Like someone said above, these claims appear every single year. The second video is clearly not a great white and that should be blatent even to someone with little knowledge of sharks. The first video isnt clear enough to draw up a conclusion. To be honest, i think that people who are not going in the sea because of this 'story' are pretty stupid, as even if there were a great white around, lifeguards do a good enough job of obvserving the waters and i think particularly now they are on high alert, so there is really nothing to fear. In my opinion this is just what happens these days, it wouldnt be summer without a bit of a shark story in the UK. It definately isnt going to stop me surfing around the north coast of Cornwall. We should all just get on with it, next week it will be old news.

Jono, Torbay, Devon, UK

I am a Shark attack victim, on July the 4th 1987 I had my nipples bitten off from a Tiger Shark in North Yorkshire and I am of the opinion that the Shark spotted in the aforementioned video is infact not a Shark at all but just a bottled nosed Dolphin on heat.

Dan Smallhead Moon, Swindon, England

Although tabloid press photos lately are far from conclusive, the recent Cornish video films definitely show a large predatory shark chasing fast-moving prey at great speed - which the monstrous plankton grazing Basking shark never does... therefore almost certainly confirming that Great White Sharks really do prowl British waters.

Indeed, their presence here is far more credible than their absurdly presumed absence. This is simply because Great Whites - (contrary to ill-informed belief and unlike most other dangerous types of shark) - are warm-blooded creatures... which means they favour exactly the kind of cool-temperate seas that wash these islands' West Country shores...!

However, the slightly more rounded fins seen on front-pages of the sun certainly resemble that of a Basking Shark, rather than the sharper, more pointed dorsal of a Great White.

But, hey - It's only a matter of time. A Great White attack WILL happen here - BET ON IT...!

John Jay, Walton on Thames, UK

Do 5 minutes research and you'll see there is absolutely no chance that the attention grabbing dorsal fin picture from the The Sun is of a great white! It's far too rounded and you'd stake a lot of money that its a picture of a porbeagle or basking shark. Both of these sharks inhabit waters off the Cornish coast this time of year.

The same old story comes out every now and again and no doubt sells a few more papers when it's slapped on the front page.

Neil, Bournemouth, UK

With continued plundering of the oceans fish stocks coupled with global warming and many other factors there will be more shark attacks. Great White sharks roam all over the world so why would local authorities downplay and rubbish this reality? I will tell you why. It is all about tourism and conservation agendas at the expense of anything else. Duty of care demands that the public be told the truth about shark attacks and the thousands of missing people off coastlines. A handful of idiots that run the shark attack files should be charged with manslaughter over the false, misleading and dangerous assumptions given to the media and the public. They expect us to believe that only 4 people die of shark attack world wide each year. This is outrageous nonsense deserving of a United Nations investigation. As one of Australias longest serving volunteer shark patrol pilots and researchers attempts to undermine those of us wanting to warn the public should result in legal action.

Ric D.T. Wilson, MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

There's 2 videos on the 'Sun' site. First one is a basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus). Second is poor footage of something hassling a seal - but the pursuer is not clear.

Glenn, Nelson,

It is a Baskin Shark,. You can see in these links the difference between the fins of a White Shark and the fin of a Baskin Shark.
If you see the pictures that the sun has published, it is a Baskin Shark.

White shark: http://www.stormchaser.ca/News/fin1.jpg
Baskin Shark: http://www.gla.ac.uk/centres/marinestation/research/bask-shark/shark_fin_450.jpg
The sun picture: http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007350269,00.html

FRANCISCO, MADRID, SPAIN

who cares weve all got to go anyway, just punch it in the nose.

al pearson, newquay, cornwall

I think it is time Nico Hines and other reporters like him stop calling Great white sharks "Man eaters" There is no such thing a s a man eating shark. Most shark attacks are just one bite where the shark is confused.

Paul C, Swindon,

So , experts say this , and experts say that ! We are all experts now. Of course spotting a Great White Shark off a popular
tourist beach in Cornwall, is just as unlikely as seeing a crocodile in the sea off Australia !
Leave them alone , please.

Mrs Maggie Snook, wool wareham, Dorset UK

"I'm a leading expert in Great White Sharks and I would say with 95% confidence that the fish featured in the video is a great white.

Dr Kinesh Bombaski, Glascow, "

Sorry Kinesh but you have been rumbled. You are no more a "leading expert in Great White Sharks" than I am in fairies. Your name does not appear in any literature on marine biology and any scientist would not stake their reputation on a grainy, shaky film taken from a few hundred yards. Nice try.

On the point of tourism and sharks, I don't think the Australian tourist industry suffers too much from shark, jellyfish, crocodile syndrome ( and that's just what's in the water)

Ed, London,

I live in australia and see sharks a couple of time a year while surfing. Just because you see one doesnt mean it'll eat you. Everytime i'm in the ocean(every day) there'll be at least a couple of sharks within a Km radius but i just dont see them because they're underwater. Anyway, we're in their domain.

Daniel, Gold Coast,

Please let this be a great white.

The surf's already crowded and holiday makers certainly don't help!

Tourist money just floats back out of the county anyway as the resorts, campsites, etc are owned by Brummies and they can still lie on the beach! What's the alternative? The Med? Home of the biggest population of White Sharks on the planet!!!

Graeme Webster, PLYMOUTH, South Devon

the fact that it has even been reported just goes to prove that white sharks are in the uk,its only a matter of time before one is caught here the conditions are perfect for those amazing predators,why not?

shaun runcorn, runcorn, uk

The first sighting is almost certainly a Great White Shark, it has all the hall marks, the white underbelly, movement and behaviour. Porbeagles and Makos never come that close to the shore line, and certainly wouldn't try and kill a dolphin. So just accept it Cornish people, its here, make the most of it, and stop trying to cover it up, you are as bad as the 'Sun' hyping it up.

The second is a Basking shark.

End of.

Nick, Hinckley, UK

I think that to say that we have never had a shark attack as of yet, then to say that because we haven't had one before that it's not going to happen is absurd!!
Just because it hasn't happened yet it doesn't mean it won't ever happen.
There is a first time for everything. I am not saying that people should go running from the water, but we could say that it is possible.

Personally i think that it is interesting.

Kirstie Thompson, Plymouth,

It does not look like a porbeagle or a blue shark. I have seen both up close. It also doesn't look like a basking shark. I think it is more likely to be a great white. Did anyone notice the dolphin jumping right out of the water in front of the shark in the second video? (Not the shark jumping out as someone suggested) There also seems to be several things breaking the surface of the water around the area surrounding the shark......... possibly dolphins? ........(also in the second video)

Teresa, Hayle, Cornwall, U.K.

Sensationalist nonsense. That porbeagle shark was hunting mackerel alongside the dolphins. I've seen this sort of thing before off of the West Country. Yes we have all the right conditions for great white sharks but not enough of their food - whales, large seals such as elephant seals and big shoals of big tuna. One of the videos was definitely a basking shark too. Someone tries this hoax every year - we're bored of it

simon williams, Bristol, UK

Well...The first lot of footage.....It is so nice to see some Cornish dolphins on video. It isn’t often people have their camcorders at the ready when they are lucky enough to see these beautiful creatures. As for the second bit of footage, this is obviously a basking shark. For us in Cornwall it is a regular occurrence to see these wonderful sharks in our waters along with the warm weather. These people obviously wanted to cash in and pay for their holiday. Hopefully this selfish prank hasn’t put too many people off bathing in our clear clean Cornish waters. The tourist industry has already suffered this year with the poor summer weather (so far), we don’t need these dumb or selfish people ruining our short holiday seasons. This is as bad as the big cat/squirrel on the moor.

Nelly, Helston, Cornwall

i hope it is long may it last the sea belongs to them not us

bryan, blackpool, uk

This is not a White shark if you look at the fin the shape is to rounded to be that of a great white its more like to be a basking shark and a young one at that.
The Great whites fin is pointy at the top and goes back in on its self on the rear side. would have been cool though if it really was a Great white.

TommyK, Brighton,

in my research i visited the area where the film was taken today.didnt see the shark in question but feel it is totally believable. i have myself seen what i thought could possibly be a man-eater in the area previously!!

derek, redruth, england

I'm a leading expert in Great White Sharks and I would say with 95% confidence that the fish featured in the video is a great white.

Dr Kinesh Bombaski, Glascow,

The latest video is obviously a Basking Shark. I'd like to meet the "expert" who cannot rule out Great White. He's lost the plot.

Johnny Allan, Sutton/Surrey, Uk

It's bound to happen sooner or later with the worlds waters connected as they are and no discerning difference in water temperature in certain months.

Gary, Dunfermline, Fife

i would never let my kids or me go in the sea, even if it is just a false alarm, there too precious too me and i believe that the shark is a great white.

i will still visit st.ives but will only stay in my comfort zone and not go near the sea, as there are lots more attractions.

issy lacostie, sidmouth, u.k