Yzabelle Bostyn
BEACHGOERS have been banned from swimming at a popular Menorca resort after a shark sighting.
The seven-foot blue shark was spotted with its fin pointing out of the water at Arenal d’en Castell beach around 3:30pm on Monday, May 7.
Although the Ajuntament des Mercadal has made no official comment, it is thought the ban has now been lifted.
It is the first sighting of the year at the beach, where a shark was spotted in June 2018.
Blue sharks are the most common species in Spain and are often the motivation for beach closures.
They rarely bite humans but have been involved in several biting incidents, four of which ended in fatalities.
READ MORE: Blue shark bites swimmer in leg forcing bathing ban at beaches in Spain’s Valencia area
Last year, holidaymakers ran out of the sea in Torremolinos, Malaga after a shark fin was spotted.
Meanwhile in 2016, a tourist in Elche, Alicante suffered a ‘large’ bite to his hand after he was attacked by a blue shark.
