Basking shark spotted on the Gulf of Trieste: What does this mean for Mediterranean vacationers?. Basking sharks can grow up to twelve meters long and are the second largest fish in the world after whale sharks.
The marine giant usually prefers colder waters, which is why it is rarely spotted off the coast of Italy. Experts from the Miramare Marine Reserve and the National Oceanographic and Geophysical Institute expressed their excitement about the unusual discovery. It is the first discovery of its kind in six years.