An unusual sight drew quite the crowd Friday night in Bedford, N.S. A basking shark was spotted swimming near the Bedford Basin Yacht Club. Olivia Falkenham was on her way to work at the yacht club when she noticed lots of people pulled over, pointing and filming something. “I saw a big fin come out of the water, so I pulled over and ran over to see what was happening and I took a video,” she said. “I went up on the balcony and was watching to see if I could see it again and then I saw it come right up under the docks at the Bedford Basin Yacht Club.” What shocked Falkenham the most was the size of the creature. “It was huge. It’s really cool. I’ve never seen anything like that, especially as close as it was and the size that it was,” she said. Gary Cowan was about to have supper Friday night when he heard about the possible shark nearby. “We just decided to take a drive down. We didn’t see it right away, but we were still hanging around, and the shark came up finally,” he said. “(It was) unbelievable, especially this size.” Cowan said he likes to go fishing, so he’s out on the water often and has never seen anything like this in his life. “It’s quite a scene, especially in Bedford. You never know what you’re going to see down here in the harbour, so this was definitely very exciting for the wife and myself,” he said. The Marine Animal Response Society (MARS) told CTV News the basking shark was freely swimming and in good condition. MARS said basking sharks are filter feeders and do tend to spend time at the surface. Officials monitored it Friday night to ensure it was behaving normally. It said there have been no reports of the animal in the harbour as of Saturday. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
