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A family enjoying a day at sea were left stunned after coming face-to-face with what appeared to be a massive shark just yards from the coastline. The enormous creature, estimated to be over 30ft long, was seen gliding near the surface. Footage of the encounter shows the animal's tail churning the water as it moved through the shallows, its size dwarfing everything around it.

The shark's dorsal fin cut cleanly through the water, prompting fears it could be a dangerous predator lurking unusually close to shore. The sighting reportedly took place off the northern coast of Ireland, in waters that form part of the wider British Isles and lie relatively close to Northern Ireland.

A skipper had taken a family out on a fishing trip when the giant emerged. John Paul Baska of Northwest Charter explained that while he had seen large sharks before, the family were particularly taken aback by the encounter. Conditions in the water had attracted marine life to the area, creating the perfect feeding ground.

He said: "It was big, maybe 35 feet long.

"I have seen bigger ones.

"But the family of five who were on the charter were impressed.

"There was plenty of plankton for the sharks to feed on.

"And great fishing too."

The giant was then identified as a basking shark, a species known for its impressive size but completely harmless nature.

The basking shark is the second-largest shark and fish in the ocean, trailing only the whale shark. These sharks feed on plankton rather than other animals, slowly filtering tiny organisms from the water as they swim.

Despite their intimidating size, often reaching over 26ft and occasionally up to 33ft, these creatures are the definition of "gentle giants."

Their huge mouths, which can stretch several feet wide, often give them a fearsome appearance despite their gentle behaviour. Basking sharks swim with their mouths wide open to filter zooplankton and tiny crustaceans from the water.

They are slow-moving shark and typically cruise at about 2 to 3 miles an hour.