A SPECTACULAR shark sighting near the entrance to Largs Yacht Haven has been captured on camera.

Lee MacCready, 43, filmed the rare footage of the basking shark as it drifted in the glorious sunshine on Sunday afternoon.

Lee and fiancee John were on their motor cruiser when they spotted the massive creature's fin as it swam past.

It comes just a week after the couple embarked on a 1,000 mile trip around Scotland on the look out for marine mammals - and didn't spot a thing!

Lee, who is a prosthetics nurse for STP Skin Clinic, said: "We were just coming back from a sail around the Cumbraes and we were hanging back giving another boat right of way at the entrance to the marina.

"I then spotted something in the water and thought at first it was a dolphin or porpoise and then I saw the unmistakable fins and though 'is that a shark?'.

"It was thrilling to see - we were fairly close and it just turned on its side and went under the water. It had a notch out of its tail.

"It was an absolute surprise and immense pleasure to witness a shark in Scottish waters, a dream come true.

"I contacted Basking Sharks Scotland to see if they could identify it and they told me it was a great spot and definitely a basking shark.

"We only saw the dorsal fin and the tale as it was passing by but John and I were absolutely buzzing."

Ironically Lee and John had just toured as far north as Orkney on a marine adventure hoping to see some spectacular wildlife. Instead. they landed their only big sighting on the Clyde.

Basking sharks have been sighted between the Cumbrae islands over the years but sightings near Largs are extremely rare.

Lee said: "We saw some otters and various sea birds on our travel, but nothing like this. It was a real thrill to see the shark so close up.

"I know it is not an aggressive creature and it feeds on plankton but there was still a real buzz of excitement to witness it.

"It is nice to know that there must be fish stocks for these creatures to feed on - it is another promising sign for the Clyde."

A spokesperson for Basking Shark Scotland said: "This was brilliant to see. We hope to come down to Largs next week for some sampling and ID work."

July to September is considered to be the peak basking shark season. They are quite elusive and have a large migration pattern, inhabiting offshore and temperate waters. As such, they have not been studied as extensively as other sharks.

The basking shark is the biggest fish in the UK and one of only three plankton eating sharks worldwide. These gentle giants can grow to over 10m (33ft) long and often weigh up to several tonnes.

* Watch footage from the spectacular sighting at www.largsandmillportnews.com