Irish beachgoer's surprise at seeing basking sharks at popular bathing spot 'like a scene from Jaws'

People keen to escape the heat with a dip in the sea at a popular Irish beach last week couldn't believe it when they were joined by two basking sharks in the water.

Footage captured in Keem Bay on Co Mayo’s Achill Island shows the sharks' fins cruising past swimmers in what has been described as "like a scene from Jaws".

Basking sharks are the second-largest living shark and adults typically reach 7.9 metres in length.

They are one of three plankton-eating shark species, but swimmers are still advised to never touch or interact with them.

A video posted online of the sharks in Keem Bay, captioned 'this is like a scene from Jaws', has already been viewed a quarter of a million times.

In the clip, one child can be heard screaming, “Oh my God,” as a shark slowly swims past.

People were keen to rush to the shoreline to capture footage of the sharks. (TikTok/@k.m.m.hairstyles)

While basking sharks bear no danger to humans, their presence and size often spark panic when they get close to swimmers.

One beachgoer who witnessed the scenes last Thursday said people in Keem Bay were mostly just fascinated with the spectacle.

Fergal O’Shea was on a staycation along the west coast of the country when he arrived at the Achill beach just in time.

"We had just arrived in Keem Bay and were getting out of the car and saw people rushing towards the shore, and that's when we saw the basking sharks out there," he said.

"They were quite big, definitely four to six metres, but everybody was out with their phones, taking an Instagram.

"I don't think people were necessarily scared of it, it's more of a fascination really.

"There were a few people in their kayaks out in the water as well, there were a lot of kids shouting and screaming, but people were more fascinated to see them."

He told Newstalk that there were around 50 to 60 people on the shoreline watching the two sharks.

"They're quite big, I know they're meant to be harmless but you would definitely be a bit intimidated, I wouldn't be going swimming with them anyway," Mr O'Shea said.

"They only came in for a minute or two and then swiftly went off again, but it was great to catch it."