Hammerhead Shark spotted off Portugal

Shark Year Magazine,

According to ‘Observatorio do Algarve’, a big hammerhead shark was spotted off the Algarve coast on August 31.

The sighting of the estimated three metres long shark was made about 8 km south of Quarteira by the crew of a Navy vessel.

It’s the third confirmed shark sighting in the past few weeks. The previous sightings had been made off the beach of Zavial, Vila do Bispo and off Fuseta, Olhão.

In Zavial, lifeguards told swimmers to clear out of the water. “Any wild animal should be avoided especially sharks, so leave the water calmly,” advised the local biologist Elio Vicente Lusa.

But he also noted that the animal would tend to move away in the presence of humans.

The biologist said that the occurrence of sharks off the Portuguese coast ‘is normal’. What is newsworthy is that they are closer to the coast seeking food.

“Sharks have always been here, but are not often spotted”, adding that there is a migration route for sharks passing along the southern Portuguese coast at this time of year.

Source: observatoriodoalgarve.com