Tourist rescues stranded 12ft shark on Cornwall beach

A stunned holidaymaker in Cornwall thought he was rescuing a dolphin - but it turned out to be a shark.

Nicolas Andre rescued a stranded 12-foot basking shark which got stuck in shallow waters at Lizard Point after getting confused.

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With the help of another man, he wrapped his t-shirt around the shark's tail and pulled it to the safety of the deeper water.

According to SWNS, Mr Andre, 49, from Durham, said: "I've never seen a shark that close - let alone touched one in my whole life."

Mr Andre, who was enjoying a holiday in the area, was out walking with his wife on the coastal path between Kynance Cove and Lizard Point on Monday May 30, when they noticed something unusual below.

People appeared to be wrestling with what looked like a dolphin.

Speaking to the Plymouth Herald, he said: "The beach had no access, but I legged it down the hill anyway.

"I started to help the man there, and I realised that it was not a dolphin but a basking shark of about four-metres in length."

According to the West Briton, he added: "For me it was just a matter of trying to get it back into the water as soon as possible.

"When it was back in the water, I took my t-shirt off the tail and it was a like a switch had been flicked – the shark just flew off.

"It was amazing to actually feel a shark and to then see it going back into the water. It made me feel great."