Basking sharks and the Isle of Man
The second-biggest fish in the world comes to Manx waters every summer to feed. Here’s when and where to look, and how to help the people who count them.
When
Between May and August, basking sharks feed on plankton blooms around the Isle of Man. Manx Wildlife Trust
Where
They can turn up all round the island, but the stretch from Peel down to the Calf of Man is where they are most reliably found. Manx Wildlife Trust Most sightings are on the west and south-west coasts, often within a kilometre of the shore. Hot spots are Niarbyl, Port Erin, Peel and the Sound. Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch
What you’re looking at
The basking shark is the second-largest living fish, after the whale shark. Wikipedia It is one of only three plankton-eating sharks, along with the whale shark and the megamouth. Wikipedia
It strains plankton from the water with dark, bristle-like gill rakers. Wikipedia Basking sharks feed slowly, at about 2 knots (3.7 km/h), and don’t swim away from approaching boats. Wikipedia
People sometimes mistake the dorsal fin and tail of one basking shark for two sharks. Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch
Fewer sightings
Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch’s basking shark page (checked October 2026) says basking sharks, once a frequent sight around the island, are shifting their range, and it is seeing fewer sightings every year. Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch In its 2019 assessment (updated in 2021), the IUCN listed the basking shark as Endangered. Wikipedia
Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch collects sightings of basking sharks around the island. Report yours on their website; photos help.
Other sharks in local waters
The Shark Trust’s British sharks page (checked October 2026) says more than 40 shark species are found in British waters, and at least 21 live there all year round. Shark Trust
The small-spotted catshark lives from Norway and the British Isles south to Senegal, and in the Mediterranean. It grows to about 1 m. Wikipedia Its egg cases are worth looking for on Manx beaches too: see mermaid’s purses.