Wednesday 3 August 2022 12:48 PM Cornwall shark attack: Fearless fans head out for snorkelling trip despite ... trends now

Shark fans have fearlessly taken to the sea again to go snorkelling despite a woman being hurt last week in the first shark attack of its kind in 175 years. 

The Celtic Fox ship left Penzance, Cornwall with eight guests and three staff today at 9am after it was announced yesterday that a swimmer's leg had been bit by a shark. 

The woman - who has not been identified -  was with Blue Shark Snorkel Trips, who also ran the trip today, when the accident happened on Thursday, July 28. 

She was left 'screaming for help' in what she branded a 'very scary incident' at sea.

Reacting to the news one local tourist said today: 'Sharks or no sharks you wouldn't find me out there.' 

Another local who was informed by a reporter about the attack after being in the sea today said: 'It's a good thing you told us about the sharks after we'd been swimming!'

Those on board the Celtic Fox had a brief chat in the cabin before leaving to head out to sea - to swim among sharks.

People at the scene today said the company and its patrons were 'cagey' about speaking.

One onlooker said: 'The general mood is positive, one customer on the way to suit up in their wetsuit in the office nearby just chuckled when asked about the incident.

'Another woman, who said she worked with sharks, says she wasn't worried at all.'

Speaking today, Steven Goddard, 59, explained that he'd seen sharks in the area before but was unconcerned.

He said: 'I heard about what happened on the radio, I'm just down here sailing at the moment but I saw a shark just by the harbourside here yesterday.

'It was a basking shark, which you get quite a lot of down this way. It's the first one I've seen this year, but they're getting very rare these days.

'I've been sailing across the UK this year, I've been in Scotland, Wales, and down here, and I've seen very few sharks this year sadly.

'They don't bother me really, I'd go swimming with them. It's a blue shark, and blue sharks don't attack people. They eat mackerel - not people.'

A couple of local swimmers who had just left the water said they hadn't even heard about the attack.

Ian Wesley, 57, has lived in Penzance for years and says that local swimmers are more afraid of the seals than sharks.

He explained: 'It's a good thing you told us about the sharks after we'd been swimming!

'We get basking sharks out in the bay and for the last few years have had a humpback whale visit us, but I've never seen a shark.

'One of the seals chases people every now and again, one woman even got her wetsuit torn by one and another man was chased across the entire bay a rather enthusiastic one.

'The seals are honestly more dangerous than the sharks - they're more interested and want to play with you. We get jellyfish too, but they are easy to spot.

'I've actually wanted to go in with the sharks for a while, last time I went swimming with seals though one tried to mount me so I'm not to worried about sharks.'

A fellow swimmer Dave Fawcett, 65, who swims with the local 'guys and gals' swimming club, agreed that sharks are not a concern.

He added: 'While of course it's a bit uncomfortable if you're swimming in the middle of a shoal of basking huge sharks with their mouths wide open, nothing around here is going to eat you.

'I've been scuba diving with sharks in the Red Sea, and they're much more dangerous, so it's not worrying to be around some blue sharks - I've never seen any.

'The main thing you want to avoid are the Portuguese Man of War jellyfish, 'the devils pasty', but they float on the surface so you can see them.'

One local tourist though was mildly concerned about the sharks, but admitted he didn't like the water anyway.

Adrian Downey, 58, was drawing the view of the Penzance sea front and said he didn't like the pool, let alone the sea.

He added: 'Sharks or no sharks you wouldn't find me out there. I read about the attack but I'm sure it's something you have to take a risk to do.

'I'm sure most people wouldn't be put off, I would be but people tend to go out there to see something dangerous - and it's a specialized tour, you'd think they would be ready to deal with bites.'

According to the Sun, the woman may have required minor plastic surgery following the vicious bite, while witnesses told the paper she let out 'piercing screams', adding that there was 'blood everywhere.' 

The unlucky adventurer had been swimming some 15 miles out to sea during the £180 per person excursion when the shark, unprovoked, suddenly bit her leg. 

The swimmer was rushed back into the chartered boat where she was given immediate first aid and taken ashore for further treatment.

It is the first shark attack of its kind on a person in British waters since 1847. Several fishermen have been bitten in recent years but only after bringing the sea creatures on board their vessels. 

The tour group said it was investigating how last week's attack could have happened. 

In a statement put out by the trip company on Tuesday afternoon, the bite victim said: 'What was a very scary incident was made so much easier by the kindness and calmness of the people around me.

'Thank you to the trip team for getting me back to shore quickly and carefully and making me feel as safe as I possibly could.

'We all take these risks when we enter the habitat of a predator and we can never completely predict the reactions of a wild animal.' 

The woman was rescued by the coastguard and left in the care of paramedics. HM Coastguard has confirmed that it is believed the injury was caused by a suspected shark bite. 

The victim added that 'despite how the trip ended', it was 'amazing to see such majestic creatures in the wild'.

She said: 'I don't for a second want this freak event to tarnish the reputation of an already persecuted species.' 

Trip organiser Victoria Walker, who runs Blue Shark Snorkel from Penzance harbour, told the Daily Mail last night: 'We immediately enacted our emergency response plan, with first aid being carried out on the person involved.

'Following advice and assessment from the coastguard, the person walked off the boat and received further treatment ashore.'

Miss Walker, who wants to 'help people overcome their fear of sharks', added: 'These occurrences can be blown out of control without a clear understanding and scientific back-up.

'They are extremely rare and can be easily misunderstood.

'These things can happen when we choose to interact with wild animals in their own environment. The last thing we want is to let speculation drive the media into a world of bad press for the sharks, under no fault of their own.'

A local shark fisherman said that he saw 'massive' blue sharks at the same spot the day before the bite incident.

An coastguard spokesperson said: 'HM Coastguard sent Penzance Coastguard Rescue Team to meet a snorkeler who suffered a suspected shark bite. 

'The coastguard was notified just before 12.30pm on Thursday (July 28). It is believed the swimmer suffered a leg injury. 

'The coastguard team met the casualty at Penzance harbour to assist with passing them into the care of the ambulance service.'

Shark expert Richard Peirce told MailOnline: 'It was most likely an exploratory bite, sharks obviously do not have hands or feet, they have mouths. They are very inquisitive creatures.

'Hopefully this bite is relatively mild stuff but that is not to say that blue sharks cannot inflict much damage because they can.

'I started the shark diving trips off Cornwall in 2006 and myself and my guides were always in the water with those we were taking out.

'We used a Shark Billy, poles that we

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