A massive shark sparked alarm after it was spotted swimming just inches from a sailor during a regatta in a popular holiday hotspot.
The huge predator was filmed gliding calmly through the water among competitors taking part in the race.
Dramatic footage shows the shark cruising alongside boats in Palma Bay as stunned sailors looked on, as reported by Need To Know.
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Despite the close encounter, no injuries were reported.
The clip, captured by sailor Jacopo Renna, shows the chilling moment the creature appears out of the deep and passes dangerously close to those in the water.
Experts say it is difficult to identify the exact species from the footage – but believe it belongs to the Lamnidae family, which includes great white sharks.
Shark expert Juan Poyatos suggested it could be a mako shark, while other researchers said it may also be a great white or porbeagle.
Aniol Esteban, director of the Marilles Foundation, said: “It is very difficult to identify with certainty, but everything points to it being from the family Lamnidae.”
He added that sightings like this are rare but significant.
Esteban said: “All these species have suffered a sharp decline in the Mediterranean and some are on the brink of extinction, so their presence is always good news, even if not everyone sees it that way.
“A sea with sharks is a healthy sea. And right now, the Mediterranean and the Balearic Sea have lost the vast majority of them.”
Although sharks are known to inhabit the region, sightings close to shore are uncommon.
Recent research has also confirmed rare sightings of great white sharks in Spanish Mediterranean waters.
José Carlos Báez, a researcher at the Spanish Oceanographic Institute, said: “Large marine predators play a key role in the balance of the ocean.
“As highly migratory species, they connect different regions and contribute to the good health of the marine environment.”
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