Sharks spotted off the coast of Cornwall - but they were just harmless basking sharks
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- Two fishermen in a £35 inflatable kayak began to be circled by sharks
- But thankfully, the beasts of the sea were harmless basking sharks
- Richard Reed dived in to take up-close shots of the creatures
- Initially feared the worst after seeing the fins believing it was a 'Jaws moment'
By Nic North
PUBLISHED: 14:58 EST, 16 August 2013 | UPDATED: 18:49 EST, 16 August 2013
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Terrified families watched in horror from the shore as 30-ft sharks circled two fishermen in an inflatable kayak off the Cornish coast.
Their panic intensified when one of the men jumped into the sea and started taking photographs of the creatures with an underwater camera.
But Richard Reed, 45, knew what he was doing - the huge fish were toothless basking sharks and strictly vegetarian.
Still laughing: Richard Reed and Gregg Hunter got more than they bargained for when they were faced with a shark in Cornish waters
Up close: Realising the basking sharks were harmless, Richard dived in the water with a camera to get stills of the beast of the deep
My missus was tamping when we got back to the beach,' said father-of-two Richard last night.
'She thought I'd gone mad.'
Trucker Richard and his pal Gregg (correct) Hunter, 35, were fishing for sea bass with spear guns when the two sharks approached their £35 kayak and began circling it off Kennack Sands, near Kuggar, (both correct) on the Lizard Peninsula.
Richard said: 'Initially we were in a panic because all we could see was two huge fins above the water like in Jaws.
Come here: The sight of a shark off the coast of Cornwall had people terrified - but not Richard, who snapped away
Smile: The basking shark is certainly one of the most unusual looking of the species
One of the most feared sights in the world: A shark began to circle the two friends on board their kayak
'But when it came close we could see they were harmless basking sharks so I grabbed my underwater camera and jumped in to get a few close-up shots. These opportunities come around once in your lifetime, if you're lucky.
'I got some great photos and I managed to reach out and touch one of them. It was awesome.'
But Richard's partner, carer Donna Horrocks, 48, and 35-year-old mechanic Gregg's wife Michelle, also 35, were less awestruck.
'I thought they were gonners,' said Donna yesteday. 'Especially when the daft so-and-so jumped in. We thought he'd gone crazy because we had no idea they were harmless sharks.
'The kids were screaming and everyone kept grabbing the binoculars to see what was going on.
'We gave them plenty of verbals when they got back to the beach.'
Richard and Gregg were about half a mile off the shore when they encountered the sharks.
No fear: The £35 kayak the pair bought from a car bot sale wasn't exactly the safest vehicle from a shark
Look out: The fins of the sharks stand clear on the horizon, and they were soon to navigate themselves towards two boating holidaymakers
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