Sharks in Swansea Bay: The 1923 Scare

In July 1923, a number of national and regional newspapers—including the Daily Express—published a dramatic story under the headline “SHARKS IN SWANSEA BAY”, accompanied by the urgent warning “BATHERS WARNED TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS AGAINST RAIDERS.” The reports suggested that the usually calm waters of Swansea Bay were suddenly threatened by the presence of two large sharks, prompting widespread concern among holidaymakers and local residents.

Daily Express

The alarm was said to have come from the captain of the steamer Fleetwing, who reported that two sharks, each about fifteen feet long, had followed his vessel up the Bristol Channel. According to his account, the creatures trailed the ship around Mumbles Head before disappearing suddenly near the entrance to the bay. The implication was clear: the sharks might still be somewhere in the waters off Swansea, and bathers were urged to take care.

In the days that followed, newspapers noted a marked absence of swimmers along the beaches, as the warnings—however uncertain—were taken seriously by many who normally flocked to the shoreline during the summer months. The idea of large sharks patrolling Swansea Bay was unsettling enough to keep even the most confident swimmers on dry land.

The reports also remarked that this was the first time in several years that sharks had been said to appear in the bay, adding to the sense of novelty and unease surrounding the incident. Yet despite the attention it received in the national press, the story remains a curious episode in local history—dramatic, widely circulated, and memorable, even though its true scale and significance were never fully confirmed.