A snorkeler was injured by a shark in south-west England, the British Coastguard said on Tuesday, a rare incident in the country.
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Britain’s Sea and Coastguard Agency said in a press release it had taken care of a diver “suspicious of a shark bite” on Thursday 28 July.
According to the agency, “the swimmer appears to have suffered a leg injury.” He was collected from Penzance Harbour, Cornwall, South West England.
Despite the turn of events, “it was amazing to see such majestic creatures and I don’t want this incident to tarnish the reputation of already hunted species,” responded the injured diver, quoted by the group Blue Shark Snorkel Trips on Tuesday was organized the trip.
“These incidents are extremely rare and can easily be misunderstood,” the group said. “These things can happen when you choose to interact with wild animals around them,” he explained on Facebook.
Blue sharks, which can grow up to four meters long, visit British waters in the summer. As hunters, they spend most of their time at sea eating fish and shellfish.
The blue shark is listed as a “near threatened” species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It is valued for its meat and its fins are regularly caught in fishing nets.