The 10ft basking shark glided into Looe harbour in Cornwall after mistakenly swimming up the mouth of the River Looe.  Crowds gathered as the gentle giant spent an hour cruising the picturesque port yesterday afternoon before finding its way back out to sea.  Lifeboat operations manager Dave Haines, 57, spotted the shark and took some snaps from his boat.  He said: “It’s really unusual to see them there in the harbour. He went right in close to the people, I’d say he was around 8ft away.  “I saw one there 20 years ago, and we think that was the last sighting, so I couldn’t believe it when I saw this one.  “It was great to see him, it’s not the sort of thing you see all the time - I hope I don’t have to wait another 20 years to see another one.”  Dave said he suspected the shark had simply got lost when he swam into the harbour at 4pm.  Incredible ... curious onlookers watch shark swimming around harbour  He added: “The shark just came in with the tide. He was trying to swim out to the river again, trying to find his way out the harbour.  “We were worried because last time they couldn’t find their way out and we had to herd them out with the boats.  “He found his way out on his own though when the tide was coming in.”  Basking sharks can grow up to 39ft (12m) long and weigh up to seven tons.  They are often spotted off Britain’s coast during the summer as they feed off plankton but rarely venture close to the shore or into harbours.  Richard Peirce, chairman of the Shark Trust, said: “It is very odd because Looe has quite a narrow harbour mouth.  “Generally speaking, if a basking shark ends up in a harbour, it’s a mistake. It shouldn’t be there and we hope they get out alright.  “In terms of being 8ft away from the public, how fabulous.  “It is wonderful for the public to be that close to such a wonderful animal and to be able to observe it.  “For them to be that close is just a fantastic experience.”
MONSTER shark swims into British harbour for the first time in 20 years — and comes within 8ft of onlookers