False Shark Sighting in Agadir: Local Association Debunks Viral Videos

The videos widely circulated on social media over the past two days, reporting the presence of sharks on the beach of Agadir, have caused panic among residents and vacationers, especially Moroccans living abroad, says the Association of Sea Lovers for Underwater Fishing and Environmental Protection in a statement. It says it has investigated, verified all the information and interviewed eyewitnesses present during the incident. "The fish observed at the Marina and near one of the hotels in Agadir belong to a species of large dolphins called Risso’s dolphins, whose average length is 3 meters, and can reach 4.5 meters, especially for older dolphins," specifies the association specialized in scuba diving.

The association explained that the specimens observed in the region weigh an average of 400 to 500 kg, have a seemingly cubic head and a prominent forehead. Therefore, they are not sharks, but rather dolphins. "This type of dolphin is peaceful and poses no danger to vacationers, and several members of the association have already encountered it in depth and have dived with it, even going so far as to document it," says its president. Reacting to the third video showing a woman bitten on the leg by a shark, the association assured that this video was not recorded in Morocco and has no connection with the Agadir beach.