England Shark Attack: Snorkeler bitten off the British Coast during a ‘freak event’, first of its kind in 175 years

This shark attack is the most serious of its kind in British waters since 1847, according to reports.

Where was the shark attack?

The woman was snorkelling with sharks on an organised trip off the coast of Cornwall when the incident occurred.

The swimmer was close to Penzance when she was bitten and then rescued by the local coastguard.

Onshore, the local ambulance trust confirmed that she received medical treatment from paramedics and was then taken to hospital in Truro.

A spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: “HM Coastguard sent Penzance Coastguard Rescue Team to meet a snorkeler who suffered a suspected shark bite.

“The coastguard team met the casualty at Penzance harbour to assist with passing them into the care of the ambulance service.”

Was the shark attack victim badly injured?

The female swimmer was snorkelling near Penzance when her leg was injured on Thursday (28 July).

Her leg was bitten by a shark during a snorkelling trip run by Blue Shark Snorkel, a touring group that allows people to view blue sharks close-up.

The woman was returned to shore where she received medical treatment from paramedics.

Despite it being a “very scary” incident, the snorkeler said she didn’t want it to “tarnish the reputation of an already persecuted species.”

The swimmer also expressed her thanks to the trip team for bringing her to shore so quickly and for making her “feel as safe as I possibly could.”

She also said: “We all take these risks when we enter the habitat of a predator and we can never completely predict the reactions of a wild animal.”

What type of sharks swim nearby Cornwall?

Blue Sharks, Basking Sharks and Porbeagle Sharks are commonly sighted in Cornish waters.

Blue Sharks are known to visit UK waters during summer months, and are normally seen roughly 10 miles offshore.

The largest blue shark ever caught in Britain weighed 116kg and was over 9ft in length.

Are shark attacks common in the UK?

According to UK charitable organisation The Shark Trust, there have been no unprovoked shark bites in British waters for 175 years.

Shark attacks in the UK are so rare that this is thought to be the first report of any injury since 2018 when a fisherman was bitten by a Shark after hauling it onto his boat.

A spokesman for Blue Shark Snorkel said: “These occurrences are extremely rare and can be easily misunderstood so we want this to be dealt with as sensibly as possible.

“As we know, these things can happen when we choose to interact with wild animals in their own environment.

“The last thing we want is to let speculation drive the media into a world of bad press for the sharks, under no fault of their own.”