This is the moment three boat hands risked their lives to guide a six-foot blue shark out of a British estuary.

The shark was spotted thrashing about wildly in a shallow creek in Cornwall with a hook in its fin after apparently following a school of fish.

Four people have been killed by blue sharks in the past few years.

But a team of sailors paddled out to control the mammal - and reached into the water to remove the rusty hook lodged in its dorsal fin.



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Shock: This is the six-foot blue shark that was spotted in Manaccan, near Helston, Cornwall

After a few minutes' tussle, they managed to guide the distressed fish back to deeper water where it swam away.

Owner Anthony Jenkin said: 'It was in really shallow water and was in quite bad shape.

'It had a hook in its dorsal fin which was rusting. The lads managed to get it back out into deep water and it swam out again.'

Mr Jenkin said he had encountered blue sharks three or four miles out to sea but they rarely swam up shallow estuaries or rivers.

He said the three workers, David Barras, Charlie Samuel and Tom McCabe, guided the shark back out to sea using their boat.

He added: 'There a lot of fish around in the creek at the moment so I guess he was injured and may have followed them in.

'According to the lads, the shark was pretty much stuck and they got him afloat and shepherded him back to the sea. We are were quite pleased to have helped him.'

Emergency: Three boat hands took to rowing boats to steer the dangerous mammal into deeper waters

Experts at Sailaway St Anthony boat hire believed the shark followed a school of fish into the creek

A shark scare has already led to the closure of six beaches near the Spanish city of Barcelona this summer, with people banned from swimming.

Three small blue sharks were spotted by lifeguards close to shore there.

The species are normally docile and tend to avoid biting humans although they have been known to attack ship and air disaster victims.

The largest ever recorded was 12ft 6in, but females average 9ft and males 8ft.

John Richardson of the Devon-based Shark Trust, said: 'To get a blue shark close to shore in shallow water is unusual but there are occasions where they may have followed a boat in when they are throwing fish overboard and become disorientated.

'Blue sharks are pretty inquisitive but if you're in a boat you are pretty safe around one.

'They are not typically a man-eating shark but in the wrong circumstances they could attack.