Authorities evacuated visitors from St Ouen’s Bay in Jersey on Saturday after a large shark was sighted close to the shore. Lifeguards raised a red flag and instructed swimmers and surfers to exit the water following reports of the shark around 10:40 a.m.

A Coastguard spokesperson confirmed the sighting of a dark grey shark estimated to be between 10 and 12 feet long approximately 40 meters from the beach. In response, lifeguards and a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) vessel conducted a thorough sweep of the bay to ensure no further risk to beachgoers.

The precautionary measure prompted an evacuation of the water and temporarily closed the beach to swimmers. Witnesses described a moment of surprise when an announcement was made over the loudspeaker calling for everyone to leave the water due to the shark sighting. After about an hour, officials declared the area safe and reopened the beach to the public.

No incidents or injuries were reported during the event. The presence of the shark raised safety concerns but was handled swiftly by the Coastguard, RNLI, and lifeguarding teams to protect those on the popular tourist beach in the Channel Islands.