Story By: Jonathan Macias, Sub Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Newsflash
This is the moment police come across the second-largest shark in the world swimming 400 metres (1312 feet) away from the shore in southern Spain.
According to the Spanish Civil Guard, the sighting happened in the beach of La Mamola in the municipality of Polopos in the province of Granada in the southern Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia.
The footage shows the 8-metre-long (26 feet) basking shark (Cetorhinus maximus), which is described as the second-largest living shark after the whale shark, swimming 400 metres (1312 feet) away from the shore.
The Spanish Civil Guard said on Twitter they worked together with the Maritime Service to guarantee security for the shark, that is considered harmless to humans because, despite its intimidating size, it is a slow-moving filter feeder. The cops had for example recommended that some people who had gone kayaking keep their distance from the shark.
Reports said that the Spanish Civil Guard also saw a smaller 3-metre (10 feet) specimen of the same species in the nearby beach of Calahonda.
This shark’s name comes from its habit of feeding at the surface, appearing to be basking in the warmer water. It is a migratory species that travels across the world’s temperate oceans.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), its population is decreasing due to the threat of fishing, plastic in the sea and other human activities.
Credit: Newsflash/@guardiacivil 
Credit: Newsflash/@guardiacivil
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