ANTIBES — Since the start of July, social media has been flooded with footage of fins slicing through the surface just metres from swimmers: a shark of around four metres filmed on 10 July near a Mediterranean beach (almost certainly a basking shark — a gentle giant that feeds on plankton), sightings reported from the Hérault all the way to the Costa Brava, and local authorities temporarily closing beaches as a precaution. The summer in a nutshell: we're not seeing more sharks — we're just filming them more.
So what does the science say? No invasion. Marine ecologist Johann Mourier says these appearances follow well-known migration patterns, "with no exceptional increase this year," he told Planet.fr. The Mediterranean is home to around forty shark species, and the vast majority — basking sharks, blue sharks, smoothhounds, porbeagles — pose no threat to humans whatsoever. This summer's record marine heatwave hasn't helped matters: by late June, 67% of the Mediterranean was experiencing marine heat stress, with water temperatures up to 5°C above normal near the French coast. That shifts prey around, and can draw young blue sharks — the famous "tintoreras" that have been spotted regularly in recent years from Marseille to the Balearics — closer to shore.
The actual risk? Basically zero. There hasn't been a fatal shark attack on the French mainland coast in over a century. Worldwide, fewer than ten fatal attacks occur each year across all species combined — and out of roughly 400 shark species, only five are considered potentially dangerous to humans. The last confirmed sighting of a great white shark in mainland France was back in September 2022. Meanwhile, humans kill more than 100 million sharks every year, and over half of all Mediterranean shark and ray species are threatened according to the IUCN. Spotting a fin is, above all, a sign that the sea is still alive.
If a fin does appear near you: stay calm, avoid sudden movements, make your way back to shore without rushing, and follow the lifeguards' instructions. And if the beach closes for a few hours, that's the precautionary principle doing its job — not a sign of real danger.
Sources: Planet.fr, July 2026; Espèces-menacées.fr, 10 July 2026; Figaro Nautisme; IUCN. General notice: always follow the instructions of local authorities. Photo: Daniel Torobekov / Pexels.
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