A recent prank involving a fake shark fin off the coast of a UK beach caused terror among local children. The fin, which appeared to belong to a great white shark, turned out to be a hoax planted in the water by an anonymous individual.
Crafted out of insulation foam and painted dark grey, the fake fin had a wooden stick attached to weigh it down. It was positioned approximately 300 yards from the coast of Torquay. The prank was discovered by a teacher leading a group of children on a trip with Devon Sea Safari. The captain of the boat, Rob Hughes, inspected the fin and realized it was fake.
The culprit later admitted their prank in an anonymous post on Facebook, claiming that the fin was intended for a "personal video", "I've had fun and got the community talking. I just want to reassure everyone that you have nothing to fear in the sea. The recent shark was supposed to be for a personal video I didn't expect anyone to notice", the Facebook post read.
Mr Hughes said he wasn't "fooled for long" by the fin in a Facebook post from his Devon Sea Safari company.
He wrote: "I wasn't fooled for long. Lack of movement and no tail fin made me investigate further.
"Someone has gone to great lengths to create a hoax great white shark fin. I can't say I'm very impressed."
