An amateur photographer has snapped a picture of a ‘shark’ on the Lancashire coast and it has taken off on social media.
Blackpool man, Chris August, took the picture near the Gynn Wall in Blackpool.
He posted it to Facebook on Saturday (5 February) with the caption: “Is that a shark I captured in today's waves?”
In the picture, which has received over 160 interactions, you can see what looks like a large shark’s fin jutting out of the waves.
Of course, it isn’t a real shark but a perfectly timed photo which captures Blackpool’s choppy waters and high tide at the weekend.
However, some people in the comment section said they were nearly fooled.
One person said: “Great photo. Wonder how many people like me zoomed in just to check”
“If it was a shark it would have been a big one,” said another.
A third said: “It sure looks like it”.
Most of the region was hit with heavy rain and strong winds over the weekend.
The Environment Agency also warned of high tides across the north, urging people to avoid promenades and coastal footpaths.
As a result, a flood alert covering the Wyre estuary from Fleetwood and Knott End to Little Eccleston was issued by the Environment Agency on Saturday (February 5).
Many people took to social media sharing their pictures of the mammoth waves as the crashed into the shore.
Although rarely spotted, sharks do live in the Irish sea on the Lancashire coast.
A spokesperson for the Lancashire Wildlife Trust said: “We have some giants passing through Irish Sea, between the Lancashire coast and the Isle of Man.
“For instance, there is the second largest fish in our oceans, growing up to 12 metres long and weighing up to six tonnes, the basking shark. Only the whale shark is bigger, and a basking shark can grow as long as a bus.”
The best time to see them is between May and September and they can be identified by their large, black, triangular dorsal fin moves slowly through the water, with the tail tip and bulbous snout often visible above the waves too.
According to the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, there have also been plenty of humpback whale sightings in the Irish Sea in the last five years.
Last year, video footage of dolphins diving in and out of the sea at Fleetwood also surfaced.
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