1.5m shark spotted in water at Sentosa beach: 'Everyone in the sea started screaming'
At least one shark was spotted at Palawan Beach on Sentosa on Sept 1 afternoon.
Stomper Andy shared a video of people standing on the beach by the water and watching the shark as it swam near them.
"In fact, we earlier saw a much smaller shark, which was about 40cm. We were curious and surprised, but we ignored it because it was small," said the Stomper.
"Then the next moment came this 1.5m blacktip reef shark.
"We were all horrified and everyone in the sea started screaming and shouting. All quickly ran out of the water.
"The lifeguard nearby soon saw the commotion and immediately flew the red flag to show no more swimming. The shark was circling round and round the Palawan Beach area."
A Facebook user named Maureen O'Hara also posted a video of the shark online.
In response to a Stomp query, a spokesperson for Sentosa Development Corporation said the shark was spotted at about 3.15pm.
"Our Beach Patrol Officers and Sentosa Rangers were on the ground to immediately evacuate guests from the waters for their safety," said the spokesperson.
"As a precaution, swimming and water activities were also halted for Palawan Beach, indicated by the flags that were put up by our Beach Patrol Officers.
"Swimming and water activities have since resumed, following drone inspections to confirm there were no further shark sightings in our lagoons.
"The safety of our guests is of paramount importance to us, and regular protocols are undertaken by our Beach Patrol Officers to monitor the safety of our waters."
Blacktip reef sharks are generally not considered dangerous to humans unless you provoke them.
In May 2023, an abandoned fishing net on Pulau Semakau was found to have caused the deaths of 14 blacktip reef sharks, which are threatened with extinction in Singapore.
