In a video capturing the intense event, Brits were ordered out of the sea when a shark began “circling” families on holiday in Menorca. A

family was left “terrified” when they found themselves being circled by a shark at a beach in Spain.

Whilst on holiday, Jessica Kenny, 27, noticed the unnerving predator while she was paddling in the sea at Playa Arenal d’en Castell, Menorca, with her four year old son, and soon realised that it was tailing her father, Darren, 57, who was swimming further ahead towards some buoys, on Monday.

Wary sunbathers quickly notified a lifeguard, leading him to call for backup.

As bystanders started screaming and yelling for the lifeguard – who immediately put the red flags out before making a call for reinforcement.

The sea was rapidly cleared of children, however, some people lingered close enough to film the shark.

Jessica, a GP receptionist from Liverpool, recounted: “I was only up to my waist with my little boy – while my dad had swam ahead. We were laughing and joking because it was cold.”

“Then we saw a weird thing sticking out the water – we were joking around, saying it must be a shark. But we didn’t really believe it. It was quite strange, zig-zagging around us. As it came closer, we realised the thing sticking out of the water was a fin.We were like, ‘oh my god – that’s a shark’.”

She bolted from the water with her son as others on the beach laughed.

However, Jessica recognised that the chilling creature thought to be a blue shark appeared to be targeting Darren, who was making his way back to shore.

She recounted: “We’d lost sight of it after we turned around. But we then saw it was following my dad back to the beach. It was circling around him – but it wasn’t going for him, if that makes sense. Honestly it was so scary, but my dad loves everything to do with the sea. When we were back on the beach, he was so excited.”

Jessica and Darren worked to soothe her son, who was “a bit upset and worried” following the incident.

“My dad was telling him how lucky he was to have seen a shark at four years old,” she continued. “In all his 57 years, he’d never seen one. They decided to name it Freddie.”

The family vacated the beach at 4.35pm, a full hour after the initial shark sighting – while lifeguards were still attempting to shepherd it away.

Darren, who drives lorries for a living, shared: “It was such a surreal experience. I’ve always wanted to see a shark – even going snorkeling in Jamaica and Cuba just so I could spot one. I can’t believe I swam with one in Menorca, with my daughter and grandson.”