ITALY: GREAT WHITE SHARK SIGHTED OFF COAST OF RIMINI

(1 Sep 1998) Natural Sound

Italian authorities have closed beaches around the coastal resort of Rimini after the sighting of a great white shark.

The 18-foot (six-metre) shark was first captured on video by a local fisherman.

And swimmers haven't dipped a toe into the water since the footage was first shown on local television.

Swimmers have wasted no time vacating beaches near Ancona on the Adriatic.

Authorities closed thirty miles (48 kilometres) of Italian coastline on Saturday, and they've had no trouble keeping swimmers away since then.

The "No Swimming" signs went up after the sighting of a great white shark 15 miles (25 kilometres) off the coast in deep water last week.

It is the first such sighting of the great white in the Adriatic -- a species which gained notoriety after its starring role in the film 'Jaws'.

In contrast this amateur film, shot by local fisherman Stefano Catalani and his 10-year- old son Nicola, shows the great white attacking the Catalani's 30-foot (10-metre) boat.

After seizing a container of bait, the shark devours a smaller sand shark, then circles the Catalani's boat.

Since Saturday, Italian authorities have tried to reassure bathers that sharks rarely attack humans and prefer deep water -- although some experts believe those reassurances are promoted by tour operators.

The great white is expected to hang around the coastal resort of Rimini until he finds something to eat, then head north to Po delta.

Experts predict that the great white sharks, as they follow shoals of smaller fish, will reach British waters within the decade.

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