Elusive basking sharks of the North Sea

Underwater cameraman Florian Graner and marine biologist Natali Tesche-Ricciardi are searching for one of the North Sea’s most mysterious creatures. Every year, at the beginning of June, it makes an appearance in the waters of the English Channel. A shark - Florian and Natali spot even more fins in the water. Florian wastes no time. These are the creatures they’ve been looking for.

Appearing out of the murky depths – a basking shark. Nearly 10 meters in length, it’s the second-largest fish in the world. Natali can’t wait to join Florian. Although she’s been diving for many years, she’s never seen one of these elusive giants before.

Despite their size, the sharks are harmless and take little notice of people. The enormous mouths are, in fact, after the smallest of prey: microscopic plankton. Swimming with their mouths wide open, they can filter up to 2,000 tons of seawater per hour, straining out tiny aquatic creatures. The divers have nothing to fear from the gentle giants and can get close to within a few meters.

Basking sharks cover large distances in search of food, but they swim at a slow and leisurely pace. We still know very little about these strange fish and their comings and goings. It’s only recently been discovered that their disappearance each winter is in fact a migration into deep waters.