WATCH: Basking shark says hello to Clonakilty kayaker

CLONAKILTY-based PR executive Louise Barker got the fright of her life when a curious basking shark swam over to say hello as she was out kayaking.

She apologised for swearing in the video but said the shark 'must have been about 20ft in length'.

There have been plenty of sightings of basking sharks around our coastline over the past week, with a number of the second-largest living sharks spotted swimming around.

Basking sharks are usually spotted earlier in the year, but the recent increase in temperatures has seen more and more coming to West Cork waters.

Irish Basking Shark Group – an amalgamation of conservation scientists based on the island of Ireland – have issued some guidelines for anyone like Louise who is visited by the creatures.

Basking sharks are, of course, harmless to humans and seen as very placid creatures.

Guidelines on how to act around basking sharks. (Photo: The Irish Basking Shark Group)

Spotted any basking sharks while out on the water? Send us your photos and videos by email to [email protected]

Video by Louise Barker.