Rijeka (Croatia) - The sighting of a giant shark off the coast of Croatia has caused a stir online. Vacationers can remain completely relaxed, the animal poses no danger.

Last Sunday, a fisherman from Rijeka, Croatia, filmed a giant shark that he encountered on the coast of the Adriatic Sea on his boat.

The man posted the clip, which shows the giant shark stalking the boat, on Facebook and it attracted a lot of attention.

One user declared her vacation over in the comments, as it appears that the imposing animal was discovered near a seaside resort in the northwest of the country.

However, as expert Simon Weigmann explained to theFAZ newspaper, the basking shark poses no threat to holidaymakers. On its forays, the animal is only looking for clouds of plankton, from which it filters its food.

"Even the sandpaper-like skin of the animals cannot injure swimmers," continued the shark researcher. On the contrary, it would feel rather smooth to humans if you stroke it from the head towards the tail.

Basking sharks are not uncommon in the Adriatic. They can be observed in the western Mediterranean, especially in spring and summer.

Nevertheless, Weigmann assumes that the marine giant has lost its way. As a rule, basking sharks do not stay in bathing areas where there are many people.