A beach in the Canary Islands was shut down after reports of a massive shark in local waters. The incident occurred at Melanara Beach on Gran Canaria yesterday afternoon, causing panic among beachgoers.
The tail fin of the shark was seen approaching the shore, prompting young girls to scream as police quickly responded to the scene. Shortly after 5pm local time, the alarm was raised, with lifeguards clearing the sea and a red flag hoisted to signal danger.
Footage captured the terrifying moments as young people ran from the water, with one holidaymaker clutching a child while watching the giant shark thrash in the shallows. A Telde Council spokesman urged people to stay calm and follow instructions from lifeguards and authorities.
A young girl interviewed by a local TV station recounted the ordeal, saying, “The lifeguard started blowing his whistle and indicating everyone should get out of the water and I looked round and saw its fin.” Her friend added, “We saw the fin, which was about seven inches out of the water, and we began to move as fast as we could back towards the beach.”
Authorities deployed jet skis to locate the shark, but the efforts were unsuccessful. No further sightings have been confirmed, and it remains unclear whether the red flag will stay in place today. The shark is believed to have been a hammerhead, which can grow up to 20 feet long and weigh up to 1,000 pounds. While most hammerheads are considered harmless, there have been very few recorded attacks on humans.
This incident follows a similar one last month at Arenal d’en Castell beach in Menorca, where another shark fin was spotted above the waves, leading to warnings.
