Basking sharks captured on video off Nairn in rare sighting

Up to 10 basking sharks were filmed close to shore off Nairn in the Moray Firth, offering rare, close-up views to tour passengers and beachgoers. The late-summer sightings featured large sharks circling near idle boats in calm water.

AI Comment from GPT 5:

This late‑summer aggregation of roughly 10 basking sharks off Nairn sits within a broader pattern of unusual large‑animal sightings in nearby waters this year and illustrates how group encounters can range from rare single animals to sizable schools, depending on place and time. As noted in the post, seasonal plankton blooms can draw basking sharks closer to shore in late summer and early autumn.

Related context from attached posts:

• Humpback whale spotted near Kessock Bridge and Beauly Firth (Apr 15, 2025, near Inverness): Guided by Zoltán Petres of Dolphin Spirit, observers tracked a humpback through the Beauly Firth; the animal appeared healthy and was likely feeding on fish drawn by common dolphins and birdlife. The post notes such sightings there are exceptionally rare and advises reporting future whale/dolphin sightings to British Divers Marine Life Rescue.

• Rare Basking Shark in Faxaflói Bay (Jul 22, 2025, Iceland): Recorded as the first basking shark in the area in five years, underscoring how uncommon sightings can be in some North Atlantic locations.

• Abnormally large basking shark groups spotted off Canada’s east coast (Mar 30, 2018, NW Atlantic): NOAA documented aggregations ranging from 30 to 1,400 sharks from Nova Scotia to Long Island; reasons were undetermined, with hypotheses including feeding, socializing, or courtship.

• Rare 'gentle giant' shark spotted off West Coast (Jun 6, 2016, British Columbia): Highlights the species’ rarity on Canada’s Pacific coast, linked in that post to a past eradication program and commercial fishery, in contrast to occasional group sightings elsewhere.

In this context, the Nairn encounter with multiple individuals is a notable regional event for late summer, bridging the gap between solitary, rare appearances reported in some areas and the very large aggregations documented in others.