Shark Alert: Paradise Beaches Plagued by Hammerhead Sharks – Urgent Warning
A popular tourist hotspot has been placed on high alert for sharks after the beasts were seen swarming around its coastline.
Officials Halt Swimmers: A POPULAR tourist hotspot has been placed on high alert for sharks after the beasts were seen swarming around its coastline. Warning flags have been raised after an urgent jet ski patrol found sharks lurking just 200m from the shore.
Sharks Spotted in Paradise: The beasts were spotted off the coast of Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands, a sandy paradise popular with British holidaymakers. Now just weeks away from the Easter holidays, continuous patrols are being sent out to scan the coastline for prowling hammerhead sharks.
Colorful Warnings: Officials initially hoisted a red flag, warning people to completely avoid the water at the Playa Blanca beach in Las Palmas. They later downgraded it to a yellow flag, but this only means people can paddle with caution if they stay close to the beach.
Close Encounters: Not far away, off the coast of Gran Canaria, hammerheads were spotted mere feet away from the shore in September last year. Lifeguards were forced to hoist an incredibly rare purple flag warning after the sighting.
Unusual Behavior: Lurking so close to shore could be quite unusual behavior for the hammerhead sharks, who are usually shy and avoid getting too close to humans. Most of them tend to feed on stingrays, other sharks, fish, squid and bottom dwellers like small crustaceans.
Rare Attacks: Attacks from sharks across the Canary Islands – which include Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura – are extremely rare and there is less than one, on average, every year.
Popular Tourist Spots: Other nearby islands are also popular with Brit tourists, like Tenerife, Lanzarote and La Palma.
Patrols Ensue: The patrols out in force in Fuerteventura today will be checking to see if the sharks have moved to another area of the ocean – possibly closer to the other island hotspots. Last year, trained divers and swimmers were able to scare off one hammerhead who was swimming dangerously close to bathers near Las Canteras in Gran Canaria.
Beach Closures: But over the summer, an entire beach was closed on the island after a different sighting. A pair of hammerheads were seen lurking off Patalavaca Beach, so close images captured the distinctive outline of their bodies in the shallow water.
For Further Reading: You can also check out Canarian Weekly for more updates on shark warnings.
Stay safe and informed as you enjoy the sunny beaches of the Canary Islands!