A group of fishermen were left stunned after spotting a 10ft long shark just north of Teesside.
The men had baited their hooks and were out fishing when they suddenly saw a huge fin in the water nearby.
Andrew Grabham, 67, and his son John, 34, were on the water in the North Sea from Hartlepool on Thursday.
The pair and two others were trying to catch some cod from a fishing boat offshore, Teesside Live reports.
They were astonished to see the fins of a shark, which was at least 10 feet long, sticking out of the water.
The sea creature was located in the seat between Hartlepool and Seaham in County Durham.
Andrew, who is from Long Newton, said he believes it could have been a basking shark or porbeagle shark.
The retired accountant said: "My friend saw it first. He said 'oh there's a shark over there' and I thought blimey.
"You could see the fins out of the water, I just got a bit of a shock.
"We got a bit closer to it so we could have a good look. We didn't bother it, we were just watching it all the time. It was really good.
"It was going quite slowly and it was on the surface.
"I have seen them in Cornwall before but not around here."
Andrew said they also spotted dolphins and were able to catch some mackerel, which is unusual for November.
He added: "It was just like being in the south of France yesterday, it was lovely."
According to The Shark Trust, sharks can be seen around the coasts of Britain.
At least 21 species live in British waters all year round.
There are also at least 11 deep-water shark species including the Portuguese Dogfish, Black Dogfish, Kitefin Shark and Gulper Shark.
