Snorkeler ‘bite’ in suspected shark attack on UK’s Cornish Coast

Her Majesty’s Coast Guard rescued the unnamed woman after the incident, believed to be the first shark attack of this type in British waters since 1874, which occurred near Penzance on Thursday.

HM Coast Guard has since confirmed that a rescue team was dispatched to provide assistance after the suspected shark attack.

“The Coast Guard has dispatched a Coast Guard rescue team in Penzance to interview a diver who was bitten by a shark,” a statement from a spokesperson for the Maritime Coast Guard Agency said.

“The Coast Guard was notified before 12:30 p.m. Thursday (July 28), and it is believed that the swimmer was injured in the leg.

“The Coast Guard team met the victims at the Port of Penzance to help get them into the care of the Ambulance Service.”

Reports indicate that the woman may have been on a snorkeling trip to see the blue shark when the accident occurred. However, no further details were provided about the current state of the dive, or what type of shark might be involved.

While the United States has the largest annual number of notaries shark bites in the world, With a total of 47 reported in 2021, the presence of sharks in British waters is very rare.

In fact, there have been no unexplained shark bites here in 175 years, according to the UK charity The Shark Trust.