Giant shark sparks ‘megalodon’ fears after tourists scream as it circled cruise ship – World News

An incredibly large shark stunned a cruise ship full of tourists who were heard screaming and shouting as it circled around the vessel.

Musician Alex Albrecht captured the sight and uploaded it to his TikTok channel which has since been watched more than 30 million times since he uploaded it on Tuesday.

The shark can be seen swimming slowly in a circle near the surface of the water as tourists rush to the side of the boat and clamour to get a closer look.

Some can be heard shouting “Oh my god” and “Woah” while Mr Albrecht filming the dramatic scene from up in the mast simply says: “Holy f**k”.

He captioned the clip: “Sailed six weeks in the Atlantic saw this big f*****g shark.”

Many of those who watched the clip commented on the size with some likening it to the extinct “Megalodon” which grew up to 18 metres in length.

One viewer said: “Them standing that close gives me anxiety.”

While another asked: “Isn’t that megalodon?”

The megalodon lived 23 million years ago and is closely related to the great white shark – but could reach up to 59ft long.

They prayed on large things, probably whales, and their teeth and jaws were built for grabbing and breaking bones. Oh, and they also swam very fast.

Fossils of the species have been found in Europe, Africa, America and Australia.

But many shark fans identified the gigantic animal as a basking shark, that can reach up to 12 metres in length and can weigh 6 tonnes.

Basking sharks are harmless to humans and not aggressive. They can be spotted from May to September around the southwest of England, Wales, Isle of Man, and the west coast of Scotland.

Basking sharks are endangered and protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.