THIS is the astonishing moment a group of fishermen spotted a 10 foot SHARK off the coast of Teesside.
The men had baited their hooks in the hunt for cod when they suddenly saw a whopping fin in the water.
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This is the moment a group of fisherman spotted a shark in the North Sea 2
The men said the creature, which they estimated was around 10 feet long, swam close to the surface on an unusually balmy November day in Teesside
Andrew Grabham - who was on the expedition with son John, 34, and two others - spoke of his shock after the sighting in the North Sea near Hartlepool.
The 67-year-old, who lives in Co. Durham village Longnewton, told Teesside Live: "My friend saw it first.
"He said, 'Oh, there's a shark over there'.
"I thought, 'Blimey'.
"You could see the fin out of the water. I got a bit of a shock."
The retired accountant said the men got as close as possible to the creature without troubling it.
"We got a bit closer to it so we could have a good look," he said.
'I THOUGHT, BLIMEY'
"We didn't bother it, we were just watching it all the time.
"It was really good.
"It was going quite slowly near the surface."
He said he believes the creature was either a basking shark or a porbeagle shark - adding: "I've seen them in Cornwall before, but never around here."
Sharks are known to swim in the North Sea - although they're often smaller species, including the dogfish, the cat shark and the smooth hound.
Porbeagle sharks can grow far bigger, and are often mistaken for great whites.
They are found around all UK coastlines, although generally prefer milder waters.
SHARKS IN THE THAMES
Andrew said he and his friends have also spotted dolphins on their trips.
And he suggested the water may be warmer than usual for this time of year after catching mackerel - a rare find in November.
"It was just like being in the south of France - it was lovely," he joked.
Experts said this week that sharks are now living in the River Thames as the waterway teems with life 64 years after being declared 'biologically dead'.
Tope, starry smooth-hounds and spurdogs, which release venom from fins, are using the cleaned-up waters as nurseries.
It's rare for any species of shark to behave aggressively towards humans. However, attacks do happen.
As of November 7, there have been 74 shark attack bites in 2021, according to Tracing Sharks.
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Among that number are eight fatal attacks.
British dad, Paul Millachip, 57, was killed on November 6 while swimming at Port Beach near Perth, Australia. Tragically, just his goggles were recovered.
Meanwhile, on September 5, dad-to-be Timothy Thompson, 31, died after his arm was torn off in front of horrified onlookers off Emerald Beach in Coffs Harbour, Australia.
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