Shark Sighting on a Majorcan Beach Frightens Swimmers

Swimmers at Illetas beach in Majorca quickly ran out of the water when a blue shark was spotted in the sea. 

The shark, which was measured to be eight feet long, was spotted at the beach on Saturday. First aiders apparently alerted everyone by telling them to come out of the water, The Telegraph reported. Civil Protection workers kept a close eye on the location after the incident took place. This was done as a precautionary measure in case the shark came back.

British holidaymaker Tim Prottey-Jones and his wife Angela were among the people who witnessed the incident. He was apparently not afraid of the fish and was more thrilled than anything else.

"We had been on the beach all morning because it was extremely hot and we wanted to leave it as long as possible to enter the water and cool off," Prottey-Jones said (via BBC). "The shark swam straight past us very calmly - eerily calm. It was an amazing sight because you just don't expect to see this beautiful animal."

Many witnesses were able to capture the shark on camera, including Prottey-Jones, who shared the photo on his Twitter account. 

And while Prottey-Jones was excited, not everyone seemed to feel the same way. He said that there was "a little bit of hysteria but it wasn't manic screaming."

The shark sighting was immediately followed by another one the next day. It was unclear whether the shark was the same one, though it was generally assumed to be so. The beach was closed off after the sighting, but it reopened after hours had passed. As a safety measure, lifeguards were stationed in the water to stop swimmers from going too far out.

The blue shark was reportedly seized and killed. A hook was discovered lodged in its mouth, which is thought to be why the fish behaved so unusually by swimming in to shore.