Gran Canaria shark scare

Three beaches in Gran Canaria have been closed after sightings of sharks.

A beach in Telde was closed after a viral video showed a two-metre shark pursuing prey near the shore of a beach at Melenara. This prompted a drone search which led to the closure of a second beach in the municipality, and another in the south of the island after further sightings.

It is not yet known whether the sightings are of the same shark, but one of the sightings is of a hammerhead shark, a species that is rarely aggressive towards humans. Experts claim that the behaviour of the shark approaching the shore is rare and was caused by the shark pursuing a ray or similar prey.