A basking shark spotted off the coast of Marbella and the images go viral

A large basking shark has recently been spotted off the coast of Marbella. The footage was recorded by Aquatime, a nautical sector company, showing the several-meter-long animal swimming very close to the boat, displaying its striking and also feared fin.

The images have gone viral due to the size of the basking shark, but experts remind us that it is not a dangerous animal, as it feeds on plankton. Marine biologists from the Aula del Mar Mediterráneo Foundation have confirmed from the images that it is indeed a basking shark, and such sightings are not so uncommon on the Costa del Sol. In 2023, there was a similar sighting of a large basking shark at the Port of Málaga, and another one in 2020 near Sacaba.

Basking sharks can reach up to 10 meters in length and weigh four tons, swimming much of the time with their mouths open, filtering water to feed on plankton. It is one of the shark species listed as endangered, so its sighting on the coast of Malaga is positive news.