Overview
- RNLI lifeguards at St Ouen’s Bay ordered swimmers out and red-flagged the beach for 45 minutes after one lifeguard reported a large dark-grey animal about 40 metres from shore on Saturday.
- Lifeguards used a jet ski to sweep the area, reported no further sightings, and allowed the beach to reopen with no injuries or rescues recorded.
- Eyewitnesses and lifeguards estimated the animal at roughly 10–12 ft (about 3.6 m) and described it passing under a rescue board, but the species has not been confirmed.
- Experts note that blue sharks and other species are more common in UK waters in summer and say warmer seas and prey patterns may be linked to more nearshore sightings.
- A separate recent Jersey incident involved an endangered smalltooth sand tiger shark that stranded and died, raising conservation questions and calls for improved monitoring of rare shark occurrences.