CLOSE ENCOUNTER Terrifying moment huge 30ft shark spotted roaming water near Scots beach

 THIS is the terrifying moment beach-goers at a popular coastal spot encountered a huge 30ft shark.

Two paddleboarders had a brush with the giant sea creature off the coast of Scotland this week as sunseekers flocked to the watersports hotspot.

5

A large fine was spotted poking out of the water off the Ayrshire coastCredit: SWNS

5

Carla Smith's boyfriend Andy Milae caught stunning drone footage of the creatureCredit: SWNS

5

The basking shark was off the coast of Lendalfoot Beach in GirvanCredit: SWNS

5

Beachgoers were startled at first by the sight of the colossal animalCredit: SWNS

5

Our map shows where the giant shark was spotted off the Ayrshire coast

Stunned Carla Smith, 20, told how she was left startled by the nervy encounter out on the water at Lendalfoot Beach in Girvan, Ayrshire.

Carla, from Rutherglen, near Glasgow, and her boyfriend Andy Milae, 20, took to the water on their boards on Tuesday.

They even crossed paths with the giant animal, remaining still as it calmly drifted by them.

Afterwards Andy, from nearby Troon, put up a drone to get a closer look at the shark.

Despite initial concern, they eventually realised that it was a basking shark.

And luckily for the pair of boarders, despite being the largest shark to swim in UK waters, the huge animals are known as gentle giants that only eat plankton.

Carla, a student, said: "You could see the fin on the horizon. People started shouting, 'There is a shark in the water'.

"We still thought it was maybe a dolphin and it was only once we had the drone that we knew."Andy's striking footage of the colossal creature settled the nerves of the other beachgoers.

Carla added: "They don't eat people, which was a relief"It swam underneath us which was so cool."

Basking sharks migrate to Scotland in the warmer summer months to feed on plankton, before returning to southerly sub-tropics.

They can reach up to 12m in length and weigh six tonnes, making them the largest shark in UK waters.

Basking sharks are the second largest fish in the world, behind the whale shark.

BASKING SHARK FACTS:

• Basking sharks are regular visitors to the coastal waters around Scotland and sightings are not uncommon
• The creatures are gentle giants of the oceans and despite their mammoth size intimidating some people, they live on a diet of plankton
• They undertake large migrations and can be found worldwide in both temperate and tropical waters
• Scotland has some of the richest cold waters in the world. Each spring, oceanic temperatures and weather cycles create optimal conditions for explosive blooms of plankton
• Their large mouths can be up to one metre wide and are lined with gill rakers, which are specially adapted filters for straining out plankton
• The largest recorded length of a basking shark is 12.27m - more than 40ft

Last September, Phil Macdonald had a "daunting" close encounter with a group of basking sharks while paddle boarding off the coast of Nairn, Highlands.

The 36-year-old was caught off-guard by the creatures, who circled his board in the murky water, leaving his nerves wracked