{"id":1062079,"date":"2026-07-01T15:32:28","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T15:32:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1062079\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T15:32:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T15:32:28","slug":"boat-crew-see-massive-fin-in-plymouth-waters-and-soon-learn-its-not-shark-or-dolphin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1062079\/","title":{"rendered":"Boat crew see massive fin in Plymouth waters and soon learn it’s not shark or dolphin"},"content":{"rendered":"

The coastal waters surrounding Plymouth and the wider Devon region are a hidden treasure trove of marine biodiversity, offering some of the most vibrant and unexpected marine wildlife sightings in the UK<\/p>\n

Sophie Roberts<\/strong> Head of Social Newsdesk<\/p>\n

11:26, 01 Jul 2026<\/p>\n

\"Sunfish<\/p>\n

It’s possible to sight this alien-like creature here in the UK(Image: birdsonline via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

When a tall fin suddenly breaks the surface of the water off the Devon coast, it\u2019s easy for the imagination to run wild. Between our resident pods of playful dolphins<\/a> and majestic basking sharks, you would be forgiven for assuming that every fin belongs to one of the usual suspects.<\/p>\n

However, locals can be surprised by rare encounters. Just last month, privileged boat trippers were stunned to spot a porbeagle shark in Plymouth waters.<\/a> This powerful, critically endangered cousin of the great white typically remains an elusive, swift offshore hunter, making its appearance pretty uncommon.<\/p>\n

And now, nature has provided another extraordinary spectacle. Boat passengers touring the Devon coast have been spotting huge ocean sunfish (Mola mola). Recognised for its peculiar, disc-shaped body resembling a “swimming head” and distinctive dorsal fin, this peaceful giant holds the title of the world’s heaviest bony fish.<\/p>\n

Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n

Sunfish occasionally follow warm summer currents into British waters, where they float near the surface and feed on jellyfish.<\/p>\n

Documenting the remarkable sighting on Instagram, tour operator Plymouth Marine Safari reported: “This last week we have been seeing more sunfish than ever in Plymouth<\/a> waters.<\/p>\n

“We have spotted more than 10+ in this last week, but the tricky part is if we stop to watch them as soon as they get near the boat, they love to disappear. Here’s a short video of one that stuck around long enough for skipper Kev to get a quick video! Let’s see how many we can see this week.”<\/p>\n

The post attracted more than 700 likes, with numerous followers dreaming of encountering the alien-like creature themselves.<\/p>\n

One commented: “So so jel.” Another remarked: “Would love to see one!” While a third enthusiastically exclaimed: “Wow!”.<\/p>\n

\"Ocean<\/p>\n

It’s a privilege to see marine life like ocean sunfish in our waters(Image: Getty Images\/Flickr RF)<\/p>\n

For those hoping to tick an ocean sunfish off their bucket list, the odds are promising at the moment. They are most frequently observed in Devon waters between June and September when sea temperatures reach their peak.<\/p>\n

While historically regarded as an extremely uncommon sight around British shores, encounters have grown notably more frequent in recent years owing to gradually rising ocean temperatures.<\/p>\n

With fortune on your side, you might spot them during boat excursions at this time of year. They enjoy “basking” horizontally at the water’s surface to absorb warmth before plunging into deeper, cooler waters to feed.<\/p>\n

However, even if sunfish fail to make an appearance, there’s an abundance of other marine wildlife to observe. Visitors might encounter dolphins, whales, seals and occasionally even turtles throughout the summer months.<\/p>\n

Other wildlife to watch out for includes basking sharks, seahorses, crabs and puffins. Before long, you’ll feel just like David Attenborough!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The coastal waters surrounding Plymouth and the wider Devon region are a hidden treasure trove of marine biodiversity,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1062080,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3847],"tags":[37433,20487,14995,70,16,15,1717],"class_list":["post-1062079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-angling","tag-david-attenborough","tag-sailing","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-wildlife"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116845448245249141","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1062079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1062079"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1062079\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1062080"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1062079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1062079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1062079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}