Adult basking sharks can measure up to 39 feet (12 metres) in length and can weigh up to 7 tonnes. They are the second largest species of shark in the world, after the whale shark. They are harmless plankton feeders and can live up to 50 years.

The main season in Cornwall for these gentle giants is around mid may through to late June. Although they can be seen in the months before and after this. They usually start to appear when the water temperature hits 13 degrees and we get our second plankton cycle. They then follow the plankton bloom up to Scotland and beyond. They can filter around 1000-2000 cubic metres of seawater per hour and can be found in large schools of over 100 sharks. Cornwall is one of the best places to see basking sharks and the water clarity of up to 20 metres gives underwater photographers optimum conditions to take their photographs.

Our basking shark trips can be run in 2 ways. Either divers book the bigger hardboat, the Celtic Cat in advance as a dive trip and if the sharks are around for that date booked, then they can upgrade to a shark trip. Follow our social media pages where we will advertise these trips on a first come, first serve basis. Importantly, these trips are strictly snorkelling trips, we follow a strict code of conduct set out by WiSe. We do not take people out unless we feel that the conditions are right and sightings have regularly occurred and that we feel that there is at least a 75% chance of seeing the sharks. The trips cost £100 per person.