‘Shark’ seen by dog walker in East Preston – but experts think it was something else

Video photos emerged of what gave the impression to be shark fin off the coast at East Preston final Friday (September 23).

Rustington resident Ben Colbourne was strolling his dog on the finish of Botany Close and Pigeonhouse Lane, simply ahead of 9am, when he spotted an odd object in the ocean.

“It kept coming up and disappearing,” he mentioned. “Me and some other neighbour there have been looking to figure out what it truly was.

“It gave the impression to be a dorsal fin quite than a seal.

“The extraordinary factor was it wasn’t truly shifting. When we stood up at the shingle at the seashore, it’s essential to make out the silhouette of the frame of it beneath.

“It was about 15/20 feet lengthy and about 4ft broad. Its head was pointing at once in opposition to the incoming tide. The waves have been entering it and it was sat there desk bound. It was fantastic.”

Ben believes what he noticed was a basking shark but he wasn’t in a position to make out its tail.

“Normally they say, with basking sharks, the dorsal fin is showing as well as well as actual tail fin but we never saw it at all,” he mentioned. “It might have been a bit too choppy.”

Local experts imagine that since the object was fastened quite than floating – and now not being affected by the waves laterally or vertically – this may counsel it was a hard and fast object hooked up to the seabed.

The object was in line with the wood groyne which means that it may well be the stays of a damaged port lateral marker publish.

These are designed to warn boats of the submerged danger of the groyne – most often it’s a publish with a pink mark on the best they usually regularly smash.

Among the experts who spoke to SussexGlobal was Stephen Savage, Sussex Regional Coordinator Sea Watch Foundation.

He mentioned: “We do have huge sharks spherical the United Kingdom, together with Sussex. In my opinion this would now not be a shark, as a result of it would now not keep in one position, sharks want to stay swimming.

“Swimming is an very important a part of respiring for massive sharks. The ahead motion of the shark during the sea forces oxygen wealthy water via its open mouth and out over the gills, during the gill slits.”

Ben stays steadfast in his trust that what he noticed was alive – but he hasn’t been dispose of going into the ocean.

“I had lived in Goring my entire lifestyles and I’m now dwelling over in Rustington. I stroll the dog down at the seafront on a daily basis.

“The quantity of aquatic sealife showing now could be astounding. I bear in mind as a child, we’d move fishing and also you’d very hardly get any fish in any respect.

“It’s now the case that you just move down there and there are heaps and heaps of fish that you’ll be able to see whilst you’re strolling alongside.

“There’s a large number of spider crabs and it wouldn’t wonder me if you’ll be able to get a lot larger sealife running as smartly.

“It’s sensible for us alongside the coast. It would possibly scare other folks if we’ve were given sharks in the water but they’re delicate sea predators and it’s fantastic to peer them coming again.”