A Basking Shark in Barleycove (near Mizen Head), Co. Cork, Ireland on May 3, 2024 (4K Drone Footage)

Basking sharks are the second-largest shark species on earth [1]. They reach 7 to 8 m in length. As filter-feeders, they open their mouth to collect zooplankton from the water.
Because they are gentle giants-with their curious and friendly nature harmless to humans-, often slowing feeding right under the surface (though they can dive down to 2 km below sea level), they were hunted down massively for decades, making them an endangered species [1, 2, 3].
However, in recent years, and as a result of regulation in Ireland and Britain, sightings in Ireland and Scotland have become more frequent again [3].
Yet, they still die as bycatch (e.g., only 9.4% of Irish waters are protected from bottom trawling, i.e., fishing with nets dragged over the seabed [4]) and exact numbers of the worldwide population are lacking, given there is little information about how many individuals die as bycatch [5].
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footage recorded on a DJI Mini 4 Pro
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Sources for the text:
[1] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basking...
[2] www.sharktrust.org/basking-sh...
[3] www.theguardian.com/environme...
[4] iwt.ie/destructive-bottom-tra...
[5] oap.ospar.org/en/versions/174...

[@barbarahendryx809]

Wow that is amazing . So beautiful 💕.

[@RamSadeh]

Wow!! Beautiful photography

[@Roxanne_rose]

Gorgeous

[@GuitarmanMo]

Amazing to share this moment with you mo; incredible footage, thanks for sharing! Hope you enjoyed your trip in Ireland!!

[@charlesmadisonrhea]

It’s HUUUUUGE,