13ft basking shark spotted off Yorkshire coast by amateur photographer

Wildlife enthusiast Alan Johnson, 58, scaled the cliffs in the nature reserve in the hopes of satisfying his yearly fix of puffins.

But the salesman got much more than he bargained for after spotting a 13-foot-long basking shark swimming in the waters beneath him on May 22.

He spent 15 minutes watching the beautiful creature prowling near the coastline before it eventually sunk back into the deep waters.

Want more countryside and coastal news? Join our dedicated Facebook groupAlan said: “I was at the cliff and I was just there by chance to try and get pics of the puffins, I just happened to look down and saw this dark shape. I had to double take but it wasn’t a fish or a dolphin and I realised it was a shark.

“Around this time you sometimes see dolphins here but sharks are incredibly rare. I was shocked to see it and I spent 15 minutes just watching it before it left and swam back into deep waters. I was amazed to have seen a shark, it’s one of those experiences which is totally different in person.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a shark in the wild and hopefully it won’t be the last.”

Alan, who has been snapping pictures for six years, nearly missed the entire spectacle thinking the beauty spot was closed, but he was rewarded when he decided to drive in and check anyway.

He said: “Wildlife photography is often about being in the right place at the right time, and I’m glad I was there. It can be difficult at times, especially as I’m still learning, but it’s so rewarding when you see something spectacular. I nearly didn’t go to the cliffs but thankfully I did.”

He said the shark had likely swam down from the Scottish coast.

---------------------------

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

If you want to help right now, download our tablet app from the App / Play Stores. Every contribution you make helps to provide this county with the best regional journalism in the country.

Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

Editor