Is that a great white shark filmed off Cornwall?

Video footage has emerged of a 12 to 14ft shark swimming off the coast of Cornwall - and speculation is rife that it could be a great white shark.

The film was shot by Redruth fisherman Nigel Hodge, who said the shark was half the size of his boat. He wrote on Facebook: "The deck is 24ft and I would guesstimate that the fish was half the length of that with ease.

"The water was heavily chummed as I had a whole day's bait to use up in half a day."

According to the Daily Mail, shark specialist and author of The Shark Fisherman, David Turner, said it could be a mako or a porgie, but didn't rule out the shark being a great white, saying: "If the fish was was 14ft long, it probably was a great white - it wouldn't be the first off Falmouth."

However, many people are doubtful that is the case. Ali Hood, director of conservation at the Shark Trust, told Pirate FM it is "100 per cent" not a great white shark. She said: "We've seen this footage. The Shark Trust consulted various Great White experts who have analysed this footage frame by frame and have concluded, to use their words, this is a hundred percent not a white shark.

"Clearly it's a young basking shark - evidenced by the shape and position of fins and various other traits including movement and the feeding action of the shark.

"We're yet to have a verified sighting of a white shark in our waters. We do have an environment that is suitable. There is an appetite for the excitement associated with such a species. But we shouldn't overlook the species that are native to our waters - Cornish waters have a fantastic diversity of sharks."

Back in March, the satellite-tagged shark Lydia became the first documented shark to cross the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the boundary line between east and west, and was only 800 miles from the UK.

Meanwhile, last week a British man was killed by a great white shark while he swam 15 metres from the shore at Byron Bay in Australia.

Related articles

British man killed by great white shark in Australia

Great white shark takes bite out of surfer's board

'Great white shark' spotted in London boating lake