A schoolteacher spotted a “great white shark” fin at a popular UK seaside resort whilst om a sea safari with pupils leaving children “horrified”.
It later transpired an anonymous prankster had placed a fake fin made from insulation foam in the water off the coast in Devon.
The object was attached to a wooden stick, painted dark grey and weighed down to keep it still around 300 metres from the Torquay coastline.
The stunt was first spotted by a schoolteacher on a sea safari trip with a group of children.
Devon Sea Safari captain, Rob Hughes, realised it was a fake after inspecting the sighting with binoculars and steering more closely to take a look.
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On Facebook, in an anonymous post, the culprit later stated the prank was actually intended for a “personal video” and they “didn’t expect anyone to notice”.
The social media post said: “I’ve had fun and got the community talking. I just want to reassure everyone that you have nothing to fear in the sea.”
Mr Hughes, who was not very impressed with the prank, wasn’t “fooled” though, as he noticed the fin wasn’t moving.
A Facebook post from Devon Sea Safari, run by Mr Hughes, said: “Someone has gone to great lengths to create a hoax Great White Shark fin. I can’t say I’m very impressed.”
Also adding that “pranks” like this can impact the economy during the summer months.
Great white sharks are known for swimming and migrating long distances in search of food, and expert hunters are said to be able to smell a drop of blood in one billion drops of water, The Mirror reports.
As climate change contributes to rising sea temperatures, forcing their migration, experts have previously said the predators could be commonplace off our coasts by 2050.
There are already an estimated 10 million sharks and 40 different species in our waters, with the most common being blue and basking sharks.
