Shark expert: Great whites live in British waters (and it's perfect for them)

Could shark diving be a British tourist attraction in the future? Photo: AFP/Getty

Holidaymakers on the British coast beware: a shark expert says that great whites frequent our waters, and that their conditions are perfect for the predatory fish.

President of the Shark Trust Richard Peirce says that the availability of prey in British waters makes them an ideal hunting ground - and it's only a matter of time before his theory is proved correct.

He told the Daily Mail: 'The real surprise is that we don't have an established white shark population, because the conditions here mirror those in parts of South Africa, Australia and northern California.

'The normal range of water temperature for great whites is between 14C and 20C which fits with British water in the summer.'

Of more than 80 reported sightings of great whites in British waters that Richard has investigated over the last 14 years, only seven have been credible.

Fisherman on three different boats in Cornwall reported seeing a great white sticking its head out of the water near their boats.

Mr Peirce said: 'The reason the evidence is so compelling is that it's from independent witnesses who do not know each other on different boats.

'The problem is these things happen in a flash. Unless the shark jumps right out of the water or is caught, all we'll see is a dorsal fin sticking out the water.

'The closest capture of a great white was off La Rochelle (in western France) about 200 nautical miles from UK shores which is no distance to them.'

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