Warning to Irish tourists as sharks spotted near popular beaches in Spain and Portugal

Natalia Penza

Tourists left the water in a hurry after a shark appeared off a popular Portuguese beach.

A series of blue sharks have been sighted close to Spanish beaches this year, with one sparking panic at Aguamarina beach on the Costa Blanca in June and two spotted moving through shallow waters near the Costa Brava beach of Portbou on Sunday.

On Wednesday it was the turn of locals and holidaymakers at Praia Beach in the Atlantic resort city of Espinho to clear the sea as the same species of shark neared the sand.

Children were seen gathering near the shoreline and shouting ‘shark’ as lifeguards observed the creature and a brave sun-seeker turned his back on it and walked slowly in knee-deep water towards the beach.

It disappeared after swimming back into deeper water.

Beachgoers are understood to have been allowed to take a dip to cool off once it had left the area.

Espinho, a city in the north of Portugal close to Porto which forms part of the Aveiro district, is known for fishing and for its perfect beaches.

Praia de Espinho beach is considered the finest beach in the area.

Irish people who have spent time there give it fantastic reviews online, with one describing it as “great with a fantastic sunset.”

Five sharks came close to the shoreline in different parts of Spain within a period of just 10 days in June.

The first episode occurred on June 15th when bathers were filmed leaving the water in a hurry at Aguamarina beach in Orihuela south of Alicante.

The same day it emerged the same species of shark had been spotted inside Ciutadella Port in Menorca.

Another was filmed at a small cove in Ibiza called Calo des Moltons on June 24th.

On Sunday beachgoers were left distressed after two blue sharks were seen lurking right by them off the coast of Portbou in the Catalan border province of Girona.

'Completely safe'

Following the incident, Portbou mayor Gael Rodrigues issued a message of reassurance saying: "Portbou beach is completely safe."

He added blue sharks are often spotted off beaches in the municipality because they are native to the area.

Blue sharks rarely bite humans but have been implicated in several biting incidents, four of which are said to have ended fatally.

A blue shark was blamed for an attack on a holidaymaker in Elche near Alicante in July 2016.

The 40-year-old victim was rushed to hospital and given stitches to a wound in his hand.

First-aiders described the bite as “large” and said he had come out of the sea with blood streaming from the injury.