Joshua Pedley captures stunning moment shark leaps out of the sea off Welsh coast

This is the stunning moment a giant thresher shark leapt out of the sea to stun wildlife watchers who were hoping to spot dolphins off a Welsh coast.

The shark — seen jumping out of the water near New Quay in Ceredigion is estimated to be up to 6m long.

The Jaws-dropping picture was captured by boat guide Joshua Pedley, known locally as The Wildlife Man, who was running a one-hour dolphin spotting trip at the time.

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I quickly put my camera up and zoomed in to where it leapt from and leapt again another two times.”

Writing on a local wildlife group, he added: “On our boat trip we saw a massive shark.

“This is a thresher shark, one of the most simply exquisite pieces of fish-based engineering out there.

“With a tail as long as its body, this beast is not only huge but absolutely gorgeous. We estimate that it was probably between 5m and 6m long.’

Thresher sharks are active predators who use their tails as weapons to stun their prey. Sightings in the UK are not common, with the shark usually found in North America and Asia.

The species are listed as “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species.