a shark seen off Barcarès, an evacuated beach

A beach in Barcarès in the Pyrénées-Orientales was evacuated in the afternoon, Saturday July 22, after a shark was seen offshore, reports France Bleu Roussillon. The approximately two meter long shark was spotted at “about 50 meters from the shore”, according to one of the lifeguards at the beach lifeguard station. The red flag was immediately raised to prevent any swimming.

>> Shark: a 2-meter specimen seen in Hyères

Two rescuers then went to the area with a zodiac to note the actual presence of the shark. They observed the animal “for about five minutes”. According to them, he “looked like a basking shark, was really quiet, not aggressive at all” and did not “reacted to engine noise” of the zodiac.

The two men point out that usually, “when we hoist the bathing ban flag because of the swell, there are always people who do not respect the instructions”. But the presence of the shark “deterred a lot of people”.

Sharks breed in July

Contacted by France Bleu Roussillon, Patrick Masanet, the scientific director of Oniria, the aquarium of Canet-en-Roussillon, believes that it is “most likely from a blue shark” : “We often see them near the beaches in France or Spain in July because it is the shark reproduction period. Many small fish such as sardines or mackerel also come closer to the coast during the summer, and these are precisely the prey that the blue shark is looking for. There is no reason to panic”.