Sharks are some of the ocean’s most captivating, and often misunderstood, creatures. And a lot can be found in UK waters.

For decades, the possibility of great whites in British or Irish seas has remained a mystery. Unconfirmed sightings are few and far between, and hoaxes have been known. 

But, thankfully, we've never had the displeasure of one arriving on our coasts.

We do, however, have a multitude of equally fascinating aquatic giants that will be migrating to our shores any day now.

Here are five found in UK waters:

Shortfin mako shark

The shortfin mako is the fastest shark in the sea, thought to be able to reach swimming speeds of nearly 50mph.

Shortfin makos are spotted in waters all over the globe and, although rare, are found from time to time in the seas around the UK and Ireland.

While attacks are relatively rare, the International Shark Attack File records 10 unprovoked attacks on humans between 1980 and 2024.

Basking shark

Basking Shark season tends to be May or October, and there are a few hotspots around the British Isles where you'll most likely spot them. 

However, just because you don’t see a basking shark at any given place and time, doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Basking sharks spend 90% of their time underwater and not at the surface.

So, clear beaches are your best bet to see this mammoth fish.

Blue shark

Blue sharks are highly migratory and, each year, they make huge trans-Atlantic migrations, visiting the British Isles during the summer.

Smaller blue sharks are sometimes prey for other larger sharks like the great white or the tiger shark (these two have not yet been spotted in UK waters).

Common thresher shark

Common thresher sharks typically visit British waters in the summer, but are not a common sight. Very occasionally, they can be seen close to land.

They use their unique tails like a whip to stun their prey.

Recommended reading:

400-year-old sharks lurking in the depths of British waters

Great white sharks could migrate to UK waters soon

Scientists hunting great white shark in Irish and UK waters

Greenland shark

The most mysterious shark yet.

Greenland sharks are the second-largest species of carnivorous shark after the great white.

Greenland sharks, also known as the "sleeper sharks," are one of the longest-living vertebrate species known, with a lifespan of up to 400 years.

While they can be found in deep waters around the UK, humans rarely encounter them and we know little about their life cycle, however, there have been confirmed UK sightings.