How When & Where to Find Basking Sharks
When watching for basking sharks you need to know when and where to look for the
best chances of success. The short answer is- in calm weather, in June, from a
boat, off the southwest coast of the Isle of Man in a year when plenty of
sharks visit the Island! Of course there is much more to it than that so read
this section.
There are two ways to get the latest information about basking shark sightings:
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Click on 'recent sightings' on this website.
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Ring THE MANX BASKING SHARK WATCH INFORMATION LINE on 01624-801345 to hear
about the latest sightings and/or to report a sighting. Your information will
be put on the website and reported to the MCS Basking Shark Watch.
Where to look?
Around the Isle of Man! It is a basking shark 'hotspot'.
Map of the Basking Shark Sightings 1987-2003 for UK, Isle of Man and Ireland.
Data from the Marine Conservation Society Basking Shark Watch
The Basking Shark Watch Project found that basking shark sightings were very
high on the Isle of Man, compared to the rest of British waters, especially
considering the relatively small length of the coastline. They also found that
shoal sizes were larger on the Island than elsewhere. Their scientific paper,
which will be published by the end of 2005, concentrates on analysing the
information from the Isle of Man basking sharks. The team who wrote this paper
has been kind enough to let us have a preview and to use some of their
findings, maps and histograms in this website. These should help you to
identify the best times and places to see basking sharks.
Map of Basking Shark Sightings 1987-2003 for Isle of Man
Where to look on the Isle of Man? The map of the Isle of Man shows that although
basking shark sightings occur Island-wide they are more common on the Southwest
and West coast starting from from Castletown and working clockwise around the
Island, off the Chasms and Spanish Head, around the Calf of Man, Bradda Head,
Port Erin, Fleshwick Bay and Northwards up the west coast towards Peel. The
coast from Niarbyl Bay past Dalby, Glen Maye, behind Peel Hill and off Peel
Castle, Peel breakwater and Peel headlands can be excellent areas to see
basking sharks when they are here in any numbers. These places are areas of
high plankton concentration so basking sharks congregate there.
This shark was off Fleshwick Bay, the Isle of Man.
Picture: Pauline Oliver
High plankton concentrations occur where ocean fronts are close inshore off
headlands and islands, and in bays where tidal slacks occur. Local scuba divers
say that one of the best times to see basking sharks is on the flood tide at
Niarbyl where the tidal flow streaming from the south meets the calm water of
Niarbyl Bay. It is possible to see basking sharks from most of these sites
whether you are on the cliffs or in a boat.
A close encounter from a boat off Niarbyl, the Isle of Man. Please observe the
Basking Shark Code, the engine must be in neutral or preferably
switched off. The engine might disturb the sharks and there is a danger that
the shark might get hurt by the propeller!
Picture: Shane Stigant.
The Marine Conservation Society Basking Shark Watch Project has shown that shoal
sizes were largest in the Northwest. This is not evident from the map. The
biggest shoal was 100 sharks off Jurby head in July 1991.
It is not possible to guarantee a basking shark sighting at any time of year but
you can certainly improve your chances by reading this section carefully. If
you are lucky you may see a shark basking or feeding with its enormous mouth
agape. If you are really lucky you may see a group of shark engaged in
courtship behaviour such as following one another closely, circling or
breaching. Even if you don't see a single shark you will definitely have seen
seals, sea birds and some of the most beautiful coastline in the world, so it
will be good fun trying!
It is a common occurrence to hear keen observers pointing excitedly at birds,
seals, scuba divers, lobster pots, dolphins, whales or boats and shouting that
they have spotted a basking shark. A characteristic cry is "It's a sha-----ag".
This normally causes amusement but it can be rather frustrating!
The first sign of a shark is its large dorsal fin showing above the surface of
the water. If the water is clear and it is a calm day, you might see the white
mouth as it feeds just under the surface of the water. This is particulary
likely if you are seeing the animal from above, from a boat or a cliff-top.
The first sign of a basking shark is normally its dorsal fin. You can also the
the white mouth in this picture.
Picture: Pauline Oliver
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